D Mechs
by Yusei
Summary: Fighting against the oppression of Neo-Domino, the Arcadia Resistance in Satellite uncover the weapons behind power and take a stand, fighting for all of Satellite. A new era is about to begin.
1. Unleashed Power

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – D-Mechs**

by Yusei

_**Summary – **__"5DX. __Fighting against the oppression of Neo-Domino, the Arcadia Resistance in Satellite uncover the weapons behind power and take a stand, fighting for all of Satellite. A new era is about to begin_".

_**Disclaimer – **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **__I have a feeling what you're thinking; "Card Games in Mechas". Well, yes and no; this fic is more of 5D's meeting Gurren Lagann and Evangelion. Honestly, it's been something in the works for a while and, while there's still a few other fics in desperate need of attention, it was something I couldn't keep myself from working on. Hopefully, it was worth it. At this point, I'd like to add that this does crossover with GX and DM later on, at which point, '5DX' will be in the title. Hope you enjoy, please read and review._

* * *

It was in the year 20XX when the disaster ripped Neo-Domino City into two. A new plain was born – the isle of Satellite. The parent failed the child and Satellite was abandoned; left as a barren wasteland and a test of survival for those trapped on it. The attention of Neo-Domino had been drawn to the creations that had been produced over the past years – D-Mechs. These machines represented monsters, capable of fitting a human inside to pilot them to the master's will. Many had been lost in the disaster that tore Satellite from the womb, some were suspected of being on the isolated plain. The disaster itself was a result of a major testing operation; to combine D-Mechs with energy used to power them and the City – Momentum. To create a D-Mech out of momentum had never before been considered, but in the wildest dreams of some, it was possible. The real world was another matter.

Thousands were killed in the incident and many more separated from life. The government of the City covered the truth by claiming a terrible storm had attacked the city, simply Mother Nature's invoked wrath against the incredible evolution of mankind. Those in Satellite cared not for excuses, but waited for rescue. To get their lives back. That never came. As a result, those in Satellite quickly became bitter to the City, blind to the needs of those walking alive and lost. Neo-Domino constructed measures to protect itself from the rebellious child and disowned the people completely. There were no physical links between the two, leaving Satellite in the ruins of the past while Neo-Domino continued to prosper and advance.

Officers of the Security military would patrol Satellite using their D-Mechs and helicopters as transport. The journey between the two could easily wear down a strong D-Mech, forcing many to abort a full flight and rely on the manmade copters. There were several types of D-Mechs; ordinary servants and those that evolved when younger machines combined – Synchro and Fusion. Synchro D-Mechs could be created by combining a rare Tuner with a non-Tuner, unleashing a new power that had become a fascination of the creators and experimenters before the incident; Zero Reverse. The Synchro Core in these machines could rely on power or time, but neither could support it across the divide entirely, even evolution had its limitations. Fusions were completely different – two D-Mechs of the correct nature could literally combine, reshaping themselves into one being in a different manner than those of Synchro. The procedure was a fatal one in certain circumstances, but Fusion was still a new concept and D-Mechs capable of pulling it off were rarer than Tuners.

War could easily be waged with these machines as weapons, far more powerful than handheld guns and grenades. That didn't make them invincible, there were many flaws. Regardless, they were a treasure of Neo-Domino. And of those in Satellite. The Resistance of Arcadia had managed to uncover a decent number of D-Mechs in the ruins and soil of their abandoned home, combining themselves as a movement against the oppression from Neo-Domino and willing to fight back, no matter what the cost. Headed by one man, they were small in numbers, but stronger than anyone else in Satellite. They were the people's only chance.

* * *

**«/File Zero-One: 'Unleashed Power'**

**«/Location: Satellite – 'Junkyard'**

The sun beat down on the barren scrapyard within the parameters of Kuzuyama Tetsuzo's land; there was no breeze to cool the area. Thick clouds of carbon dioxide swam overhead, far beyond the reach of any of Satellite's surviving buildings. In the yard, two young men threw items of twisted metal and broken components out of a garage, into a trailer. One stood and wiped his brow, feeling the drops of sweat clinging to his back trickle downwards. His hair matched the shade of any lapis lazuli sphere, pointed at the edges upwards. He wore a khaki shaded t-shirt, a small golden pendant hung around his neck, clinging onto narrow black rope, and jeans held up by a black belt. He smiled down at his companion, who remained crouched in front of the mass of junk.

"He better be paying us well" he chuckled.

The other didn't answer, but sifted through the pieces in front of him. Black hair divided into spikes hanging over the back of his neck with larger versions either side of his head stood, bent and some with blond highlights. He wore a sleeveless black shirt with a circular crimson pattern over the front, arms of the markings stretched over his shoulders and onto his back. Grey jeans held by a brown belt joined the shirt and brown boots with black soles and small, flat orange circles fixed onto the sides.

The blue-haired man's smile diminished into a neutral line while watching the silent hunter, his eyes moved to the trailer where their jackets hung on the edge; his own was grey with a large steel coloured collar while the other was navy blue, decorated with a complex pattern of black lining and orange half-orbs fixed onto the elbows and collar, two brown gloves matching the boots of his friend were beside the two shirts.

Beyond the junk-filled cart, a small posse approached, led by a rounded man in a lemon yellow suit. On either side of his head, tucked into the short, combed ultramarine hair, his ears hung with lobs long enough to challenge any deity with similar features. Jewels shone by his knuckles. A pattern of alternating rubies and emeralds and a spiked moustache like crooked clock hands pointed upwards from his top lip. He didn't seem the type to run around in Satellite, and he didn't have to – he chose to. As a loan shark and dealer in all black market goods. He was a criminal on the run.

Behind him, three young men and a boy with the body of a girl followed. One with dark blue hair tied into a series of united ponytails and spectacles, another with his spiked hazel hair suppressed by a sky-blue bandana and the third a wide man, umber shaded hair with roots pressed together in a yellow band stretching across his skull, his features wider than those of his friends. The child smiled as he spoke with his friends, long red hair flowing down his back, his scalp hidden beneath a loose yellow hat with an orange badge with black eyes and mouth matching his smile. The most notable feature about him was the yellow triangle beneath his left eye – proof that he had been arrested by Security once before for a crime.

There were a range of punishments, from Markers to periods in a prison on the fearsome Detention Island, even execution. Neo-Domino was strict; it may have turned any icy shoulder to its child, but there was still discipline. The five approached the garage connected to the empty house of the elderly man who was out for the day.

"Hey, they're coming" the blue-haired man whispered to his friend.

The darker-haired worker stood, turning to face the group, none seemed threatening; the leader looked the most comfortable and surprisingly, the more dangerous, of them all. The other four looked as though they wouldn't last long in a decent fight.

"Ah~" the wide man sighed loudly with a sickening smile. "How have you boys been?"

"Fine, though we know it doesn't matter to you" the blue-haired scowled, tightening his eyes as the group. "Who are the new groupies, Garome?"

"Ever the blunt one and eager to get to business, huh, Uryu?" the man chuckled, shaking his head. He stepped aside opening his hand to the four – the blue-haired, the bandana-wearing brunette, the wider man and the child. "Blitz, Nerve, Taka and Rally. They've had a few run-ins with Security as you can see and they came to me looking for protection. I'm offering what they want; of course, they know they'll pay me back". He rubbed the tips of his fingertips like there were notes of paper between them; Garome was all about the money.

"How can you be sure they'd pay, you know not many people in Satellite have money to support themselves, let alone extra to pay for your 'services'" Uryu scowled, bending his middle and forefingers over the last word. He had always been sceptic of the man, someone who charged ridiculous prices for his help.

Garome turned from Uryu and to the silent black-haired boy. "And what of you, Yusei? Have you finally got some money to pay me back?"

"No" Yusei replied bluntly. "Uryu and I have been working to get enough, but like he said, people in Satellite don't have much".

Garome cackled; it was the same story every time; after giving Yusei some money to get by, the boy had been constantly working to pay him back, with the ever-rising interest rate. Of the original agreement, only a small amount had been repaid. He clutched the edge of the cart beside the jackets with one of his glimmering fingers.

"I'll make you a deal; I've got some goods over in the Daimon Area – y'know, the place that people usually steer clear of if they want to get out alive in Neo-Domino. It's a stretch, but there is a barge leaving that you could take to get there, I'm sure they'd give you a ride if you mentioned my name" he spoke with the same greedy grin. "The goods are being taken to the ol' Security Impound Centre, seems the cops got to 'em first. I need you to go get 'em out before they reach that place – you do that, and I'll let you off and cut the amount you owe".

"That amount will only be made up by the next increase in interest" Yusei mumbled coldly.

"Just get the stuff in the convoy and I won't get some thug to bust your ass" Garome snapped, poking Yusei's chest with the tip of his wide forefinger.

"Any thug you pay isn't enough for us" Uryu laughed smugly, pressing his hands against his hips. "Didn't you learn the last time you tried to use that trick? What was the guy's name? Aoyama or something, right?"

"You've got to learn to hold that tongue of yours before it gets someone in trouble" Garome laughed bitterly, casting a cold glare at Uryu, who smirked nonetheless. He then moved his eyes back to Yusei. "They'll be in Daimon tomorrow night; I'll be waiting at Ichisan's place for you if you manage to pull it off without getting yourself caught".

The wide suited man strolled on; the quartet watched the pair for a moment before hastily rushing after their guard. Uryu turned to Yusei, they had few options, and Garome _had_ helped Yusei in the past, including getting him under and clear of Security's radar.

"So what do you plan to do?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Cynicism was written across his face, shining clear in his narrow eyes fixed upon his friend.

Yusei moved his eyes from Uryu and to the ground. Without a word, he crouched and rose in quick succession, holding onto what resembled the exhaust of a car, moved to the cart and tossed the piece in. Immediately afterwards, he snatched his gloves and pulled them on his hands before he looked back.

"He's right. As much as I hate it, I still owe him" he sighed. "I'll have to find out what this convoy is and get what I can out of it".

"But it could be anything. You can't carry 'anything' to the docks and back onto the barge" Uryu protested. "Besides, you know that place is crawling with Security, it's got ex-convicts and such there. This task is crazy; it may as well be suicide".

"Crazy or suicidal, there's no telling what he can do if I refuse" Yusei answered, tugging on his right glove, stretching it over a dark red marking on his arm. The symbol had been there for a while, like a tattoo on his skin in a shape resembling a head, jagged teeth cracked open and an eye in the centre of the spiked head. No-one knew the origins or the meaning of the symbol – on rare occasions, it glowed, but those were times set eras apart.

Uryu sighed, pressing his right hand to the back of his head and looked to the sky in defeat. "I guess you're gonna drop us in it again". He returned to Earth and back to Yusei, whose jacket hung over his arm, a subtle smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I'll go with you. After all, knowing Garome, it's probably parts from the black market. You can't carry those, I can. I'll bring Insect Knight to the docks tonight. Meet ya there".

"You're bringing your D-Mech?" Yusei stated; a hint of surprise in his tone as he watched his companion in the same manner as always. "You'll become a magnet for Security".

"Would you rather _you_ draw their attention?" Uryu questioned, cocking a playful eyebrow. "You want get a Marker like that Rally kid to make you stick out when you pull all-nighters to work?"

Yusei frowned; Uryu was right – without a D-Mech of his own, there was no way to take on any threat from Security. He needed backup. And Uryu was the best he had on such short notice.

"Alright, meet me there tonight" he replied. "But that won't be strong enough to get us across the water entirely".

"I'm sure the guys will let us hitch a ride part of the way" Uryu chuckled. "Besides, to keep Security off your back, I'll just set it down somewhere and let the batteries recharge".

"You make piloting one of those things sound easy" Yusei mumbled with a vague smile.

"Once you get the hang of it" Uryu laughed, beaming smugly. "They're like the cranes you use; only a little more advanced".

"Subtle, aren't you?" Yusei joked.

* * *

******«/**Location: Satellite – 'Docks'

Dusk fell upon the island, plunging streets into complete darkness. Yusei stood alone in the evening shade, keeping his head still and eyes darting across the place for any sign of Uryu and his Insect Knight D-Mech. There had been nothing for a quarter-hour; Yusei folded his arms impatiently over his chest, twisting his neck to scan a large section of the dock around him. Further down the ruined bay, a barge floated, unloading the last of the trash deported from the City. Silhouettes skated up and down the slanted bridge, carrying loads small enough for human arms.

A whir came from the opposite direction, that of a D-Mech engine. A large insect in the shape of a human body dropped to the ground, embers in the soles of its feet dying. In one hand, the armoured creature clutched a circular shield, in the other, a gleaming silver sword. Mandibles hung from the head, snapping beneath two crimson eyes lighting the body of the beast. The head rose, tilting back and unnaturally pressed the skull against its spine, two metallic panels opened, revealing Uryu seated in a complex cockpit hidden within the chest of the machine.

"Hey, Yusei" he saluted.

The dark-haired teenager turned to his companion, his face the same steeled stoic look as ever. "You're late".

"Not late, just wanting to cut it close" Uryu chuckled, rubbing the back of his blue head.

"So then let's go, before they leave without us" Yusei mumbled, throwing his arm in a circle around his shoulder, beckoning the pilot after him.

The steel plates closed, shutting the sight of the seated Uryu from the world. Yusei led the way, escorting the enlarged bug to the ship. A man, presumably the captain, puffed on a cigarette, small rings of smoke beating in the air for a matter of seconds before dispersing. He caught the movement of two in the corner of his vision, his old neck turned, moving the two into the centre of his eyes.

They then scanned the area; Security was often around, for now however, there was no sign of officers. No power of the City on Satellite's charred soil. A crooked finger set itself on the D-Mech towering over Yusei.

"You planning to take that?" he asked with a hoarse tone.

"If you've got room" Yusei answered.

"Captain; we've got contacts – half a dozen Security officers on the way!" a mariner hissed with a raised voice.

The captain cocked his head in the direction of the vessel. "Best hurry up and get it on; I ain't going down because you two are messing around".

Without a word, Yusei darted past the captain and into the bowels of the vessel, Insect Knight stomping behind him. The slanted edge of the ship creaked as it rose, shutting behind them and sealing them inside the lower deck of the vessel. On the outside, three Security officers followed two mariners, who gladly opened their hands in the direction of their ship; two connected segments held together in the centre; the back end once filled with rubbish and the front, with walkways stretching across the rear for the sailors.

"You see? We're just doing our job, as always" one scowled.

"We're just here to make sure, you'll be lucky if we don't check that hold. After all, you guys could have stashed anything in there" the lead officer scoffed, tilting his head back to look down his nose at the captain. "What are you hiding this time? Drugs? Stowaways?"

"Stowaways? On _my_ ship?" the captain laughed. "Do you honestly believe I want dirty Satellite bastards on my ship?"

"You _do_ carry crap that the City doesn't need anymore" one of the trailing officers commented blandly.

"From the City to Satellite. Not the other way around" the captain spat, poking the air with his grey cig, spraying ash and smoke into the territory of others.

"I'll believe you this time, I suppose. But if our boss was here, you'd have every inch of that thing searched, just to be sure" the lead officer retorted, pointing at the rounded behind of the ship. "Just get going before he gets here".

"Normally, I'd beat you for trying to assert your power over us and telling where and when to go, but this time, I'll let you go" the captain replied. He turned to the men in the vicinity. "Alright boys, get ready to head back to the City".

The men clambered up the slanted plank of wood acting as a bridge, eight in all standing on the deck with the captain. Two of the mariners seized the edges of the wooden board and pulled it back, removing it from the concrete of Satellite and pressed it against the edge of the upper deck. It began to float, sailing away from the edge of Satellite and in the direction of Neo-Domino, peacefully and without spying eyes sneaking through every nook and cranny on-board.

Moments after setting off, footsteps reverberated through the lower deck and onto the upper, Yusei and Uryu climbing onto the surface level of the boat and into the captain's eyes once more.

"So, you boys getting a ride all the way there, or are you using that toy of yours?" he asked cockily.

"We'll only go hallway with you; we should be able to manage after that" Uryu replied. "By the way, what was all that stowaway business about?" His arms crossed over his chest, accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

"It's an act; I may not be fond of Satellites, but I don't just abandon them. Hence why my men warned us before Security came along, I could've had you two carted off if I wanted" the captain answered with a shrug of the shoulders. "Now it's too late, cause if I want you two gone, I have to give up myself too".

The night continued on, cold and silently. For most of their time on the vessel, Yusei and Uryu leaned against the railings on the upper deck, gazing down into the rippling water below. Reflections were unstable, melting away as soon as they got anywhere near what they were supposed to resemble. Uryu smiled, taking his eyes from the water and to the dark blue sky; over Neo-Domino, lights of the twilight kept the City from complete blackness.

"You know, it would be nice to go wherever we wanted like this all the time" he mumbled, taking in the crisp air.

"It'll happen; one day, I'm sure" Yusei replied, casting his eyes to his friend. "I'd like to live long enough to see it though".

Uryu turned his face to Yusei who continued to stare at the lost horizon, hands hanging over the edge of the railing. His mouth flipped into a frown, a strange sense of sorrow washed over him with the words Yusei brought. He lifted his left hand, dropping onto Yusei's closest shoulder, drawing the young man's azure eyes. A smile was across Uryu's face again.

"You will. I know you will" he asserted lightly. "We all will".

Yusei didn't mirror the smile, but instead, looked out to the black dim horizon. A sea breeze passed over the vessel, brushing his spiked bangs in front of his eyes. Even with hope lying deep with Satellite, he was still pessimistic over it all; like he dreaded mixing with the City people. It was too risky to do so currently, leaving the people of Satellite with no choice. Those who could reach the City could only stay a short while before they would be discovered by Security and deported back to Satellite or shipped off to a correctional facility.

Footfalls tapped behind them, bringing Uryu back into the boat and facing the captain, who clutched a lighter in his left hand. "We're almost there; you boys want to get ready?"

"Yeah, thanks for this" Uryu replied, giving a nod to the man.

The captain repeated the action and turned his back on them. Uryu laid his hand onto Yusei's shoulder, bringing him back again. He gave a nod to the younger Satellite male, withdrawing to the open space in the deck, leading to the hidden D-Mech. Yusei turned away from the waters, watching as the blue-haired man crossed into the partner of the ship, sinking deeper into the shadows. A moment passed before a low roar rumbled across the level and the Insect Knight D-Mech floated towards the exposed surface.

Within seconds of firing up, the D-Mech pressed its feet against the wooden boards, towering over Yusei with its human-and-a-half sized body; somewhere in it, Uryu watched through the blood eyes. The left arm stretched forward, the hand hidden beneath the shield exposed when the limb turned, beckoning Yusei to its steel body. The scene captured gazes and hanging mouths of those around them, Yusei ignored them long enough to wrap his arms around the thick steel trunk, climbing up the short distance and clutch onto the shoulders of the robotic beast.

"You sure you'll be alright out there?" Uryu asked through the mouth of his machine.

"I'll be fine, so long as you get us to that convoy before dawn" Yusei called. "You sure you know where you're going, or what it looks like?"

Uryu shrugged his shoulders, gripping the clutches inside tightly. The wings of the D-Mech rose, buzzing with life behind Yusei, the Satellite holding onto the shoulder. The captain and his mariners watched as the machine lifted from the deck, choppy waves crashed against the hull amidst the isolated darkness, blood eyes flashing under the starry sky; a lone flicker of life over the uneasy waters.

Uryu slammed the handgrips forward, throwing the D-Mech ahead and towards the City; cutting a path in the waves below, throwing up spray in the faces of those watching in awe and envy. Yusei struggled to keep hold, the bitter gales forcing his eyes closed, following the feeling in his guy blindly. Inside the cockpit, Uryu had pulled up the sight of his friend in a monitor to his left, he frowned at what he saw; but there was no time to go back and sort order now.

The flight over the waters to Neo-Domino's ports lasted a matter of minutes. Insect Knight land softly against the square concrete; free of chips and cracks. Uryu set his eyes onto the monitor showing the chilled Yusei clutching numbly onto his Insect Knight, almost shivering after the bitter flight.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "I could always go on ahead alone; spare you all this aggro".

"No" Yusei answered firmly. "I have to do this; I'm not going to put you in harm's way".

Uryu sighed, giving in relatively quickly in comparison to normal; but this wasn't normal. They had a matter of minutes before the convoy was due to cross through Daimon, information that they had managed to get up from Security's database with Yusei's impressive hacking abilities.

Insect Knight continued further inland on foot, moving to the shadowed streets of Daimon; an area of Neo-Domino where many bore Markers as a result of their imprisonment at the correctional facility for crimes of varying degrees. Nobody in Neo-Domino dared to enter, unless they had sunken to the level of criminals; drugs ran amok, alcohol and tobacco were more common than any other product, theft was common and firearms could easily be found on the black market. The place was a paradise for those trying to build their own D-Mechs in the blind hope of succeeding.

A hum came from across the main plaza where exchanges and gatherings would normally take place during dusk. Insect Knight turned in the direction of the noise, hovering towards it. The insect machine leapt onto the low roof of a circular building, the twisted ends of a broken railing in the shape similar to a segment of a rollercoaster hanging overhead. The area resembled Satellite, but there was life. Three trucks rolled across the plaza, one after another in a straight set. Uryu set his eyes on Yusei again, opening his mouth and breathing as quietly as he could.

"What do you plan to do?" he exhaled.

"Just drop me off on one. Knowing this place, Security may think nothing of it" Yusei answered in an equally hushed tone.

Beneath them, two men stood, one holding out his hands for a clear plastic bag in the grasp of the other who now clutched a wad of notes in his other hand. They both set their cold eyes on the trucks passing through the plaza in a line. Uryu lifted his D-Mech from the roof of the building, shooting through the air, taking only a few seconds to cross the clearing, Yusei dropped off and onto the roof of the back truck. The driver in the vehicle in front searched his mirror for any sign of the D-Mech's reason for hanging around. His partner shook his head and smirked at him.

"Forget about it; just some kids mucking around".

The driver shrugged his shoulders; not completely convinced, but enough to resume his duties. On the roof of the final vehicle, Yusei crawled with his stomach pressed against the top of the carrier. To the rear he made his way, eyes latched onto the moving ground. With the truck moving as cautiously as it was, climbing down meant little risk, but it was still fast enough to move out of Daimon within a few minutes; long enough for Yusei to grab a hold of the handles and clutch onto them tightly – the only thing keeping him from falling back to the ground.

His right hand dove into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a screwdriver. The narrow end slipped in between the handles, fiddling with the lock and waving side to side. After a moment, a click and the doors moaned, slowly falling from each other and swinging apart, Yusei clambered around the edge of the left door, leaping inside to find crates. Behind him, the doors swung wildly as the truck began to speed up, bringing the possibility of being discovered already to the surface. There was nothing to back up the chance, settling Yusei's mind.

Instead, he moved cautiously to the crates in front, wooden cubes holding whatever it was Garome was after. His hands fell over the corner-edge of the nearest, searching for any words that would inform him of the inside, there was nothing. The screwdriver stabbed the wooden divide, bouncing up and down, the crate spat out splinters until a crack stopped everything. The hum of the truck continued incessantly. Yusei pulled the lid up, carefully guiding it backwards and over the opposite edge, unveiling the cargo inside – a small orange D-Mech. Yusei's head tilted to one side, puzzled by the small robot. The circular white eyes flashed to life and the machine elevated, hovering above the crate.

The true nature of the creature was unveiled; separate fragments of orange armour coating robotic limbs, decorated with pale bolts. A string was tucked into its breastplate, a rounded pale head sat between the shoulder plates, sporting a large rounded helm. Beady black pupils set themselves onto Yusei.

"This is… a D-Mech" he breathed.

The machine hovered left and right, bouncing in the air above his head, seemingly thrilled to be free of its wooden prison. Yusei's eyes turned to the swinging doors; if he was to continue the task set and stay out of Security's sight, he had to hurry.

In the furthest truck forward, a blip flashed on the monitor fixed into the centre of the dashboard, drawing the passenger's eyes. He frowned at the movement of the flashing circle, raising his head to his partner.

"Seems we've attracted trouble; the cargo's spark has been discovered" he murmured.

"It was only a matter of time. Radio in Sierra-One" the driver commanded.

The passenger officer nodded, removing a small grey rod from his pocket and pressed down with his four fingertips, a transparent screen flickered to life, lighting the compartment. An image of three men appeared, two in identical grey uniforms like the two escorts and a third dressed in a separate colour; a viridian attire.

"Sierra-One, we've got contacts".

Yusei managed to drag himself back onto the roof of the truck, now on the central lane of the highway. The orange D-Mech hovered behind him, catching his eye again; at least transporting it back to Satellite would be easier. A subtle smile crossed his face for a half-second. As quickly as the light-hearted look vanished, spotlights blared down over him, casting his shadow across the entire roof of the truck. Bearing his teeth, Yusei lifted his right arm over his face and turned to the source of the blinding brightness.

"_Step away from the Mech and surrender yourself; you've nowhere to run to"._

Unfortunately, that was all too true. Yusei scanned the area around the convoy for any hope of an escape route, but there was no guarantee one would even work – with reinforcements, capturing him would be an easy task for Security. His eyes moved to the twin vehicles in front roaring down the highway. He pointed to the roof of the one in front, setting his eyes onto the small D-Mech by his side.

"Do you know how to attack?" he asked. "Can you blast that open?"

The D-Mech blinked and turned to the target, taking half a minute to figure out if it had the strength or ability. Its right fist tightened and craned back, shooting forward like it had been held back physically and unleashed a small orange orb of flames. The blast collided with the top of the lorry, tearing a hole in the metal and smoke billowing out. Yusei wasted no time in darting forward and into the pillar of blackened smoke, the D-Mech followed.

The larger machine piloted by the trio of Security officers hovered forward, unveiling itself as a hydra-headed dragon, decorated with azure scales and cream muscles. Three white helms were fixed upon the heads of the beast, two purple wings flapping behind it and two large hands with faded golden claws hanging beside its sides, identical to the feet hanging beneath. The central pilot – the man dressed in a separate colour – smirked cockily. To his left, the pilot of the third head tapped the monitor in front of him, altering the dragon's senses to focus on heat.

"Ushio-san, I believe we've got him. He definitely hid in the central vehicle" he confirmed.

The black-haired man's smirk widened, stretching across more of his whitened teeth. "Doesn't look familiar, maybe he's some Satellite scum".

"We should get this over with then" the right-hand officer sighed, unimpressed by the new recruit to the world of crime.

In the trailer, Yusei ducked behind one of the crates stacked beneath the twisted gap, the orange D-Mech still floating by his side. He set his eyes on the being, unsure what it was supposed to be called and pointed to the crate in front of him.

"Try and open this; the more of you I get out of here, the better things will be when we get back to Satellite" he whispered.

The machine turned to the wooden surface in front of it, holding another like it captive. Like a scorned animal, it began to throw itself at the edge, to Yusei's astonishment, pounding the crate's face with its small fists. The spotlight from the hydra dragon shone down, blocked only by the piled crates.

"_It's pointless to run; you can't escape. Face it, kid, you're not fit for this world"._

Yusei scowled, tightening the fists by his sides and tensing the muscles in his arms; it wasn't being captured that he detested, it was giving Security the satisfaction they had won. A crunch brought him back inside to find a gaping hole where the small D-Mech had been repeatedly punching the wooden face. He pulled a few loose fragments away to find another D-Mech on the inside; grey with what resembled a gas mask over its face and skates on its feet. In terms of height, it was slightly smaller than Insect Knight, making it one of the smallest kinds to be piloted from the inside. The chest compartment opened, revealing its internal system, Yusei's mouth hung open subtly – he knew the system.

"It looks like the cranes from Satellite. Is that what D-Mechs are based on?" he asked himself. It began to make sense why Uryu could control Insect Knight so easily.

He crawled through the hole made by the partner D-Mech and climbed into the chest of the creature, moving his legs into the narrow passages made in the robotic legs of the creature. His fingers flew across the keyboards and tapped the monitors, bringing up all kinds of fascinating information over the being's mechanics and other facts hidden from Satellite deprived. A low roar interrupted the intake, drawing Yusei's eyes to the blackness overhead; beyond it, Security was waiting. His head returned, glaring in the direction of the orange D-Mech.

"Garome will have to deal with what I've got; I'm not giving up my life for him" he uttered sternly. "Accelerate!"

The grey D-Mech shot through the wooden face, almost slamming into the orange partner. Yusei moved through the hole above first, followed by the lone machine.

"_He's stolen the spark, get him!"_ one of the co-pilots hollered.

"_Montage Dragon can take out those two things in a heartbeat"_ Ushio's voice came.

Yusei tightened his hands around the handgrips, directing the grey machine down the highway he had travelled up. The mechanical beast named Montage Dragon unleashed a ray of three shades; pink, golden and jade. The triple-coloured blast tore up the road in front of Yusei, bringing him to an abrupt halt, shielding his eyes with his arms. Flames roared in front of him, cutting off any immediate dash; leaving him trapped behind the wide trench of red and orange. He snarled as he gazed over his shoulders, the grey D-Mech mimicking every move he made.

"_So how about it?"_ Ushio laughed. _"Are you going to give yourself up like a good boy, or do we have to take you down with that thing?"_

Yusei's eyes tapered, intensifying the invisible glare. His D-Mech leapt back and somersaulted in the air, twisting itself to face the dragon and deliver a kick to its chest. Ushio laughed suddenly, unnerving Yusei mere seconds before the head to his left smashed into him, throwing him against the rocky wall of the highway. The D-Mech slid down, seated against the rock face. Yusei shook his head and glared at the monitor in front of him, finding the trio of heads already building the same attack they had before; the triple beam that ripped the road apart with ease – if they landed a hit on him, he was as good as dead on the spot.

A drop of sweat slid down the side of his head; it couldn't end like this. A young squeal rang out through the night air and, all of a sudden, the orange machine was in front of him, its arms stretched to its sides. Yusei picked himself up, staggering to the machine until it was in arm's reach. The smaller being tugged on the string tucked into its chest plate, lighting a brightness inside of it. The light began to grow, becoming so bright that Yusei and the Security trio had to shield their eyes from harm, a groan escaping each.

When the light faded and it was safe to open his eyes, Yusei found the cockpit very different to the one he had left in blackness. The D-Mech had become larger, more spacious, and there was no sign of the small machine in front. The warrior encasing him wore a suit of purple and grey armour, large blood red eyes fixed into a head equally pale to the smaller counterpart.

"_No way! He managed to tune those D-Mechs together?"_ Ushio's stunned cry roared through the Montage Dragon.

Yusei had no idea what had happened, nor what 'tuning' was. All he knew was that he had a chance; according to the figures running up the monitor, the newer D-Mech had power to take on the enemy. The problem was; he would have to adapt to the new system, one more advanced than those of the cranes in Satellite, or anything else on the isle.

The purple warrior pounded its knuckles together and shot forward; even without knowing, experience would be useful, and freedom had yet to be won. A number of punches were launched, crashing into the torso and back of the dragon, yells of the three inside erupted through the mouths of the creature with each new blow dealt.

Above the battle, Insect Knight hovered, finding the warrior pummelling the dragon. Uryu creased his brow; something didn't feel right – why was Yusei fighting Security in D-Mechs meant for Garome? A possibility ran through his head; one where Yusei planned to betray both Garome and him, the worst case and the only one he could stick with once it formulated inside him. His hands tightened furiously around the controls and thrust them forward, launching his Insect Knight into battle.

"Yusei!" he yelled, jaws cracking as they hit their limits.

Hearing the familiar voice filled with venom, Yusei turned to find Insect Knight diving at him. He frowned; Uryu was a good friend, but he had grabbed the wrong end of the stick, experience had taught him that a long time would need to be spent dealing with whatever the problem was. But he didn't have that much time. He would have to fight, despite Security breathing down his neck. The head encased by the purple helm jumped between the diving Insect Knight and the recovering Montage Dragon; he couldn't fight both at once.

A simple apology passed through his jaws and he shot up at Insect Knight, grabbing the left leg and swinging it around. Uryu's voice filled the cockpit as he yelled out in both hatred and shock; hands released him and sent him flying into the three heads of the dragon. The two D-Mechs toppled together, crashing on the ground. Yusei gave the fallen comrade a sorrowful glance and shot off, heading in the direction of Satellite without looking back.

Uryu climbed off of Montage Dragon, steam hissing from the chest segment as it opened and offered him fresh air. He rubbed his head and moaned. Ushio leapt out of the collar of Montage Dragon, storming towards the fallen Satellite man and towering over him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he roared. "You're not from the City; I'll have you back in the Detention Centre when I'm through with you".

Uryu opened his eyes, finding the scarred officer with large arms folded over his chest. He scanned the sky, finding nothing of Yusei or the D-Mech; he had been abandoned. A sigh escaped him and he fell back to Earth, landing on the cold concrete a broken man. Hearing the two other Security officers charge towards the one over him, a thought crossed his mind and he smirked at Ushio, catching the man's attention. A wide eyebrow rose on the sceptic face.

"What's with the weird look?" he asked.

"I'll make you a deal; you don't throw me in that detention place and let me a chance to fight for Security" Uryu replied deviously. "And I'll give you info on the guy you just lost. Fudo Yusei; one of the Arcadia Resistance you guys have been having trouble catching".

"Arcadia Resistance?" Ushio called out. He stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

An awkward moment without sound passed, followed by the lead officer pulling out another steel rod, opening a transparent screen identical to the one his colleague had opened to contact him. Uryu watched with sweat sliding down his face as Ushio tapped the display, pausing seconds before a grey man appeared with cold eyes upon him.

"_What is it, Ushio-kun?"_

"Director Godwin" Ushio stated, snapping his empty arm into a salute. "I've found an insider who can help us deal with Arcadia. He claims that he knows one of them – a Fudo Yusei".

* * *

******«/**Location: Satellite – 'Junkyard'

Dawn was approaching when Yusei made it back to the shore of Satellite, his D-Mech moaning. The soles of the warrior's boots hit the ground close to Tetsuzo's home and white took control again. When it vanished, the orange and grey machines had separated. Yusei scanned through the files of his D-Mech, finding the power levels of the previous machine; apparently, crossing the water solely with the purple warrior was a risky move, and could have cost him it had the flight lasted any longer. Rumour had it there were D-Mechs strong enough to cross the water, but even for them, the flight was draining. In addition, names were logged in the files; 'Speed Warrior', 'Junk Synchron' and 'Junk Warrior'.

The theme was far from Yusei's mind when he set his eyes on the cluttered home of Kuzuyama Tetsuzo; Garome had mentioned he would be at Ichisan's place at dusk, but there was still hours before then; the day had only just begun. He would have to find Garome, but there was something else bothering him. Speed Warrior's skates rolled, carrying him across the torn ground, his eyes sharpened into a glare; Garome had cost him a friend, he would hunt him down and get even.


	2. The Promise of Arcadia

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – D-Mechs**

by Yusei

_**Summary – **__"5DX. __Fighting against the oppression of Neo-Domino, the Arcadia Resistance in Satellite uncover the weapons behind power and take a stand, fighting for all of Satellite. A new era is about to begin_".

_**Disclaimer – **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **__It's been a while since this was updated, so I apolgise for that; especially as it was planned all the way back in January. I will get around to writing up the next chapters of 'Infected World', 'Overcast Dusk', 'Sutādasuto Accelerator' and others that desperately need updates over the holiday. But there's a oneshot that I'd like to finish first, the reason will become clear when it's completed. For now, I hope you enjoy. Please read and review._

* * *

**«/Transmission Re-Established**

Dawn was long passed when the decayed rooftops of houses and tower remnants rose from the horizon. Yusei's face didn't change, but relief set in; that he had been able to return home before Security sent another squad after him. They were everywhere in Satellite, lurking behind any corner and watching from any hollow window, just to find anyone to punish. To snatch them from the streets they knew and throw them into the jaws of Neo-Domino's bitter system. It wouldn't be long before the trio of logged D-Mechs would attract attention from the squads and they began the game of hunting him down.

For now, reaching the broken buildings ahead was what mattered, before some sudden threat leapt out of the shadows to ambush him, or use the skating Speed Warrior to learn just where the secret rebel group had been hiding. Even with their advanced measures of hiding behind every corner, Security had still failed to locate the settlement - they were out in the B.A.D Lands, somewhere that every officer evaded if he wanted to live to see the next dawn. It wouldn't be long before fear became nothing and their secret land would be invaded.

Speed Warrior broke through the shapeless barrier and into the land named Arcadia, skidding to a halt close to the physical edge of the settlement. It felt almost strange to be back, after the week gone and passed that left him back in the subway where he had lived alone on the western edge of the island. Once the brief recollection filed, Speed Warrior skated forward, keeping on the ground and bound for the loveless buildings; new home.

From the nearby fractured tower, two figures moved; one male, one female. The man moved first, leading the girl, hair of oxblood curved into a large quiff that hung almost hiding the right of his gold-grey eyes. A black shirt covered his torso, with matching gloves to hide his hands, pressed beneath a forest green vest and above grey trousers fit for any business man in a working world. The girl's outfit was more difficult to replicate; -. They moved towards the Speed Warrior cautiously, suspicious over who was inside, but intrigued by the idea of a new recruit having come to them. The chest opened, and Yusei appeared, climbing out of the machine with Junk Synchron hovering beside it with its small feet dangling beneath.

"Yusei" the girl muttered with vague surprise.

"Aki" Yusei answered; then looked to the man. "Divine".

"I see you picked up some new toys" Divine murmured, his voice drone and professional, it didn't drip of pleasure or bite with cynicism.

"They were meant to be for Garome, as a way of stopping him from hounding Uryu and me" Yusei scowled. "The coward's run off and hidden somewhere, we lost Uryu".

"Security?" Divine asked, cocking an eyebrow. Yusei replied with a mournful nod, a heavy sign came from the man's mouth, piercing eyes locked onto Yusei. "You better not make a habit of losing friends because of that damned debt you owe Garome".

"Trust me, I won't" Yusei growled. "Once I find Garome, I'll do what I should have a long time ago and be done with him. He won't _want_ to see me ever again".

"Yusei…" Aki breathed calmly. "Maybe we should get those two checked out first; there could be a tracking device or something of that nature that would lead Security to us easily".

Yusei cast a glance at the metal pair and back to the fleshy ones in front of him. Divine was the leader of the Arcadia Resistance, having come from a tower in the centre of Neo-Domino. He had once been trying to set up an organisation of his own; an exclusive club to the young businessmen of the flourishing city. That all changed when he met the Director named Godwin. That man had sparked something inside of Divine and led to him abandoning the City, crossing the watery bridge between the two, becoming a man of Satellite by choice – unlike most – and building Arcadia from the ruins of a small settlement left after the incident. Aki, on the other hand, had been born into the high-class life, the daughter of a senator, a man within the government body running the city. She and Divine grew close after meeting through the senator and when he informed her he was leaving, she followed, much to her father's dejection. These were two people that had been living in Neo-Domino after Zero Reverse; they _chose_ to live in Satellite now. They had a choice, many others did not.

Yusei glanced at the two D-Mechs Aki had referred to; it wasn't unlike Security to bug whatever they treasured, leading them to the culprits of stealing. They had to be cautious, Yusei turned back to Aki.

"Let's get them into the storage hut then".

* * *

**«/File Zero-Two: 'The Promise of Arcadia'**

**«/Location: Satellite – 'Arcadia'**

The trio of flesh and duo of metal stood outside the large steel doors to the wide building standing almost whole. Divine pulled on the large vertical handle, dragging the left door open with a moaning grind. He opened his hand in the direction of the blackened inside, looking to Aki who stepped forward. She smiled at the two machines, like a new sister looking to the naïve additions to her family.

"Come on, I'll show you where you need to go".

The two machines looked to Yusei, who gave a nod, signifying that Aki could be trusted. They bobbed after her, entering the building withthe girl, Divine closed the door behind their shadows, sealing them inside. His hand dropped and his neck twisted; Yusei became his central focus.

"I must admit, it _is_ a good thing you got those two" he commented. "We could do with them to add to our growing fleet".

"They seem suitable. Their systems resemble those of the cranes I used down at Tetsuzo's place" Yusei answered.

"That's lucky" Divine chuckled lightly, lifting his arm to press down Yusei's opposite shoulder with a black hand. "I suppose that makes up for you losing us Uryu".

"How's Quillbolt?" Yusei asked with sharpened eyes.

"It's doing fine, recovering well" Divine replied.

"That's good. I'll have to check on it soon, seeing as I've been away and all that" Yusei murmured, glancing at the grey door beside him.

"Yusei!"

The pair looked in the direction of the voice, finding a trio of men rushing towards them, lead by a man with cornflower blue hair and an open smile, his arm was raised – he had bee the one who spoke. Behind him, a elderly greyed man trotted with his rags of yellow and dusty brown, the third a tall brawny man with cyan spiked sea urchin hair and an open vest of brown over his mocha t-shirt and jeans.

"Bruno, Jii-san, Himuro" Yusei listed with faint surprise.

"Sonny, how're you doing?" the elder man – Yanagi Tenzen – chirped.

"I'm well. How have things been here?" Yusei asked.

"Same as always" Yanagi chuckled, flicking his hand vertically. "It's good to see you again".

Yusei smiled; these were his friends, his family. There was no-one else for an outcast hiding from the ruins and zombies dragged across the land of a past world. At least together, they could do something.

"Yusei, I've been taking care of Quillbolt for you, he seems much more lively now" Bruno claimed with childish enthusiasm.

"Thank you, Bruno" Yusei answered with a smile. "I appreciate you taking care of Quillbolt for me".

"So, you're sticking around for a while this time, aren't ya?" Himuro asked with a light chortle. "Or are you going to run back to Tetsuzo's for more food made from scrap?"

"Tetsuzo eats like any other person, Himuro" Yusei protested with the same bright smile. He enjoyed these times, not worrying about Garome or Security, just being with his friends and cracking jokes at the expense of those outside of their exclusive society. He looked to Yanagi, whose golden tooth glinted with a strength to outshine the natural white with ease. "Jii-san, I need to ask you a few questions".

"Sure, anything, sonny" Yanagi bounced. "S'up?"

"I need your help to identify something to me" Yusei murmured. "I got two D-Mechs while over at Neo-Domino, but they did something I've never seen before. They seemed to… change".

"Change?" Yanagi echoed, cupping his chi thoughtfully. "You kept the logs, right, sonny?"

"Of course" Yusei replied with a nod.

"Bruno, I'll need your help; we're going to check the history of these D-Mechs and find out exactly what's happened" Yanagi commanded.

"Yes sir" Bruno cried with a playful salute.

Divine pulled open the door and the others followed him into the building, now alive with dim lights. Bruno led the others, followed by Yusei and Himuro with Yanagi at the back, the large muscular man dragging the door behind him and sealing it. Divine's face flashed with a smile for a half-second whilst watching the others over his shoulder; nothing could be left obvious for outsiders.

"Aki will be working with those two, checking over them and making notes on whatever they are" he injected into the mute. "She'll probably be in the nearest room".

The building was smaller on the outside than in; running beneath the soil and utilizing what had been the basement of a storage facility as a base for learning about and dissecting D-Mechs they ran into; ally and foe alike. Computers were set up against the walls of the underground, normally with Yusei and Bruno flying between them to learn all they could of Neo-Domino's movements and of incidents to report back to Arcadia. The ground level had been largely torn apart, leaving a narrower structure than before, rebuilt shoddily by Himuro and Divine when Arcadia was still young. But it was enough to hide the upper-level goings-on of the group, where strategies and gatherings would be strung together.

Divine led the four down the largely dimmed corridor, a small ray of sunlight intruding across the ceiling and onto the left-side wall from a small scar in the right-hand corner. The leader stood by the nearest door on the right, pushing it open and strode inside, drawing Aki's unsurprised face.

"I haven't found anything yet, Divine" she reported.

"That's alright, Aki" Divine answered with a casual flick of the wrist. "Bruno can take over; we need to search the logs of those two anyway".

Aki gave a subtle nod and stood, withdrawing a step. She neither spoke nor moved, leaving the path open for Bruno to sharply shoot forward and examine the D-Mechs, they had always fascinated him, he loved anything electronic or mechanical, almost a genius with both. Uneasy moments passed with no sound while he tapped furiously on the keyboard of the laptop Aki had been using, the girl walked back to Divine's side, somewhere she felt safe, where she had a choice.

"I think I've found it" Bruno yelped.

Yanagi pounced forward, landing by the younger man's side. "What'd ya get?"

"The logs say that there was some 'Tuning' involved" Bruno reported. "It says that Junk Synchron here used its power to combine with Speed Warrior; that made the Junk Warrior that you said changed – they became one D-Mech through this process and increased its power immensely".

"What are you saying?" Yusei asked, taken back slightly by the news.

"I'll explain it!" Yanagi cried, bouncing between the two. "Tuning is what happens when a Tuner D-Mech, like this Junk Synchron, and a non-Tuner combine. Each monster has a rank measured by these stars by their kind". His finger tapped the three flaming stars beside the field stating that Junk Synchron was a Warrior-type machine. "So by tuning this Tier-3 Junk Synchron to the Tier-2 Speed Warrior, you made a Tier-5 Junk Warrior. It's a Synchro D-Mech, very rare, with its own unique power".

"But that doesn't explain what happened; I didn't know about tuning, but Junk Synchron started it to save me" Yusei murmured.

"I can't be sure on that, normally, the pilot of a D-Mech sparks the process" Yanagi answered with a flicker in his expression. "But you've found something special here, sonny. Tuners are rare enough; to actually create a Synchro Mech is even tougher".

"So answer me one more thing; how did Junk Warrior manage to fight Security and then carry me across the divide without falling apart?" Yusei asked.

"You managed to do that?" Yanagi hollered. "That _is_ rare. Normally, Synchro D-Mechs have an extra boost of power when they're formed for the first time; y'know, unleashing their new power. But I didn't think that anyone could actually across the divide in one go; let alone with a fight before that. Maybe this one's even more special than we thought. Though I wouldn't advise you to pull a stunt like that again".

Aki smiled at Yusei, impressed by what he had managed to steal for Arcadia, to add more machines to their small armada. Divine, too, seemed pleased with the news of the new recruits. Bruno, meanwhile, was lost playing in the files stored in the two.

About an hour later, Yusei stood outside the building with Yanagi, Aki and Bruno. Beyond them, Junk Synchron and Speed Warrior waited obediently. The sun shone down through the carbon dioxide clouds, brightening the lost land and those standing on its surface, the faces of each standing outside the former-storage facility were lit just as warmly with friendly smiles.

"It's good to see you about, Yusei" Aki uttered.

"You know, the twins have been missing you terribly" Yanagi added.

"Rua and Ruka? I suppose I should see them to make up for not having time to before I left" Yusei mumbled with a hint of remorse.

"Rua's been excited ever since he heard you left; saying that it means he can do his best to defend this place and prove how strong he can be" Bruno reported. "You know what he's like when he gets onto that matter".

"I'll make sure to calm him down, he's probably pissed me with for leaving without saying" Yusei answered. "I'll take Junk Synchron and Speed Warrior with me; I know he'd want to see them".

"Just don't run off on some crazy mission without telling us. Make sure you come back" Aki insisted firmly, stepping forward.

"I will" Yusei promised with a nod.

He passed the three and paused in front of Speed Warrior. The grey machine opened up, revealing the place in its chest for him to limb inside and take control. Both Yanagi and Bruno gazed at the sight in awe, eyes sparkling as though they were in love with the cockpit whilst watching Yusei climb in. Aki smiled and moved between them, signalling Yusei good luck with a nod, he returned the gesture and the chest fell closed over him. The machine began to move, under the influence of the man inside and looked to the other half of Arcadia; houses only approximately a mile or so away, separating those living under the Resistance's wings from the base of operations, a measure to protect them from the glare of soles of the machine's boots moved swiftly, almost too fast to see, and moved it on, shooting in the direction of the residential land and leaving Aki, Bruno and Yanagi watching in the cloud of old dust kicked up.

* * *

**«/Location: Satellite – 'Arcadia Settlement'**

A young girl walked through the wide street leading to the square of the small village, where she could see the battle raging; four small D-Mechs positioned opposite each other in teams of pairs; a yellow telephone with six keys across its chest and four limbs hanging form the body beside an orange memory stick partner with beige body parts and head hovering opposite an enlarged blue magnet and a pale remote with a white circular pattern and green matching lighting the black screen at the top of its front face. The girl, with teal hair and a maroon long-sleeved shirt with golden markings underneath a short-sleeved pink hoody, white shorts and white trainers decorated with pink patterns, stepped from the shadows of the wide street, lifting her eyebrows.

"Rua…" she whispered.

The orange machine opened its lid, producing a silver cannon that rattled. An orb of flames materialised and grew, feeding off the pure air, and shot forward, lunging at the blue machine from the mouth of the weapon.

"_Magnen-U, let's try this again"_ a voice came from the orange machine.

The magnet fell forward, tipping its curved face forward. The flaming sphere crashed into the armed face and exploded, pushing the small Mech but its side across in the fierce winds. A moan came from the orange opponent and all three fell to the ground, then paused. The speaking D-Mech opened up, revealing a boy identical to the spectator with the exception of his blue shirt, white jacket and hair tied in one large ponytail as opposed to her pigtails. He darted across the field, to the black smoke where the fourth D-Mech had been.

"Magnen-U" he cried.

The girl also rushed, towards the boy, her brother; Rua. Small pants came from her as she rushed forward, soles of her trainers tapping the ground with each light step she took. She said nothing, but slowed once she passed the frozen pair that the boy had come front, coming to a halt by his side, watching the smoke clearing around the blue victim. After a moment, they could see it, still floating; a small portion of it blackened from the collision, the boy shook his fist and yelled out in frustration.

"Not again" he moaned.

"It's alright, Rua. Magnen-U hasn't suffered any real damage" the girl assured him, laying a gentle hand onto his shoulder.

"It's not that, Ruka" the boy answered with a frown. "I was trying out this move out that I thought of a few days ago".

"What move is that?" Rua asked.

"Well, I thought about it; with its rounded shape, Magnen-U could repel an enemy's attack at them, provided it's something like Chakkan's blast" Rua explained with a hollow smile. "That way, it could deal them their own attack and damage them. We need to think of new moves and keep ahead if we're to keep on top of Security".

"I'd say that coming to Satellite was a better move than staying in the City" Ruka giggled. "You've become more resourceful and I'm sure you wouldn't have thought of strategies like these".

"Well, if it wasn't for moving here, I wouldn't have gotten Magnen-U, Remocon, Chakkan and Mobaphon" Rua added with a closer-to-true smile, moving his gaze from the magnet to the pale remote, the orange machine he had come from and then to the yellow phone. "But I'm still not strong enough, I'm not doing them justice".

"Not this again" Ruka sighed. "Rua, you've done great protecting us so far, and you'll continue doing a great job".

"Not if I can't even protect my own D-Mechs" Rua lamented. "How am I supposed to stay ahead of Security and protect everyone if I can't even make this stupid move work?"

"It's okay, Rua, you'll get there" Ruka insisted, pressing both hands on her brother's shoulders firmly. "I believe in you, you said that always works. Well I trust you; I trust that you'll always be capable of protecting me and everyone else. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you're not fighting alone anymore".

"I appreciate what you're saying, Ruka, but I have to be stronger" Rua muttered in response. He set his gold-grey eyes onto the small fists in front of him, clenching them tighter to push the pulsing blood around faster. "I have to get better through this practice if I'm to help Divine protect Arcadia. I know I can be useful in other ways, but I _want_ to protect everyone. I want to protect you, Ruka".

The sister was touched, frowning faintly at her brother, she had come to blame herself for his insecurities. She had been the young ill girl in their previous home, he had sworn to protect her no matter what, now he had become obsessed with taking care of those he loved, to look after them and make sure nothing terrible could befall them. Nothing he did was good enough anymore, not until every threat was eliminated from the face of the island. And at the same time, she felt a twinge of jealously. She felt almost empty without a D-Mech of her own to pilot, to learn the skills that he had and become a capable fighter in the face of danger. Instead, she had to hide behind him, watch as he battered enemies and then swell up with a sense of accomplishment. And with a D-Mech of her own, she could reduce the burden resting on his shoulders; make him feel better when she hovered around with inexperience hindering her. She could help him fight.

Rua dispersed his four D-Mechs across the plaza and looked to his sister. Ruka smiled at her brother and opened her hand for him to take. Reluctantly, he smiled back and accepted it, still downcast over his self-confessed failure. It was possible that Magnen-U would need Bruno to check it over, ensure everything was still working and that no permanent damage had been done to the simple body.

Moments later, a cloud of dust bubbled on the horizon, drawing the boy's eyes. He tensed his young muscles and pushed his sister back, standing in front of her like a shield. Old dust scattered either side and behind the soles of the grey-skinned charge, something unfamiliar to the twins. Rua pushed two fingers between his lips and blew; a summoning whistle that brought his D-Mechs back from the four corners of the opening and around them. The pact braced itself when the grey figure and its orange partner approached and slowed, coming to a halt at the edge of the ruptured concrete tiles laid out.

The chest compartment opened, unveiling the pilot to the pair as Yusei. Rua's eyes ignited into a burst of flames immediately, Ruka also smiled in a much subtler manner. Rua lunged forward, chasing the young man as he climbed out of the machine, the chest closing automatically, Ruka followed at a comfortable jog.

"Yusei!" Rua cried ecstatically. "You got a D-Mech? That's so cool!"

"This coming from someone who has four" Ruka chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, but Yusei's never had one he can use" Rua justified, clenching his fists in front of him, pumping adrenaline of excitement. "So how did you get them? Huh?"

"It's a long story" Yusei answered with a smile of his own. "What I'd like to know is how you two have been doing?"

"We've been fine" Ruka answered, her arms tangled behind her back. "We were a little worried when you didn't show up last week though".

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Rua moaned. "We were worried sick, thought you got captured by Security or something".

"I'm sorry, Uryu and I had to do some work for Tetsuzo" Yusei answered. "Garome's been hassling us for the money".

"That guy's such a jerk" Rua pouted, folding his arms over his chest. "If we had brought money with us, we would have gotten him off your back".

"I would have to pay you two back" Yusei chuckled. "I can't just take money from you, especially that much. Who knows what tortures you'd call 'repayments'?"

"You could have found out" Ruka sighed. "It's a shame; I would have liked to have that kind of power over you".

"I'll bet" Yusei answered with a small laugh.

"Hey, hey. Yusei, guess what" Rua interjected with a sudden burst of energy.

"Rua" Ruka protested, leaning forward and shooting a glare at her brother.

"I've been working on this new technique with Magnen-U" Rua continued regardless, waving his arms energetically. "It hasn't been perfected yet, but I'm getting better. Let's have a practice match so I can show you".

Ruka watched in silence, her eyes following the wild movements of her brother. There had been a time when he would have never been so alive, She didn't doubt that Rua and Yusei would be good rivals and equal quickly, though his sudden change of mood almost stunned her. In their previous home of Regulus Village, he had been the only pilot, the only one with a D-Mech. It was what sparked his obsession with protecting her and the others. The village built him into a completely different person from the one she knew before those days, Arcadia was doing the same once more.

"Alright then, we'll fight" Yusei answered with a smile, breaking Ruka out of her memory.

Rua cheered with glee, leaping off the scarred soil and crashing down again. He turned to the D-Mech pact beyond his sister and beamed, rushing up to Mobaphon instead of Chakkan. The hexagon chest opened, keys sliding apart and opening to give him a way in. He turned to show his face whilst holding onto the closest key, the number 6, to the pair watching with a confident smirk.

"I'm not going easy on you just because you've gotten those guys some time this week" he declared. "You're a fast learner, I'm taking nothing to chance".

Yusei smirked and turned to his own D-Mech duo, retreating towards Speed Warrior. Ruka moved herself to the invisible side-lines, standing with her hands behind her back, knowing exactly what was to come. The chests of Mobaphon and Speed Warrior closed, locking the pilots inside. The two whirred to life, the engines inside coming alive. Around Rua's Mobaphon; Chakkan, Magnen-U and Remocon gathered; a light shining from the pale rectangle gadget, swallowing Mobaphon and Magnen-U with its own form.

What came out of the white was far different from the small three machines that vanished; a silver metal body underneath yellow plates of armour across its head, wings, chest, shoulders, crotch and legs. Naked arms, abdomen, neck, claws, and tail gleamed in the morning sun. A mechanical groan came form its open jaws, red eyes glowing; the right claw was buried in a blue scoop, a green screwdriver attached to its left and a shovelhead on the tip of the silvery tail. Jagged rectangles stuck up from its neck, the corners glinting.

"Power Tool Dragon" Ruka muttered to herself.

"You best prepare yourself, Rua" Yusei called through his grey body. "You're not the only one with a Synchro D-Mech now".

"What?" Rua blurted.

Junk Synchro hovered forward, pulling on its cord. The same light that shone before, the same as the one from Remocon, wiping Junk Synchron, Speed Warrior and Yusei from the twins' overloaded eyes. The two groaned softly, waiting until the shine beyond their eyelids to vanish and leave them in darkness before they opened their eyes, stunned by the purple-clad warrior hovering directly opposite Rua.

"What… what the-?" Rua whispered.

"I got these last night" Yusei answered. "Jii-san explained about Tuning this morning".

"I knew it, you learn too quickly" Rua chuckled with a cocky smirk.

"Is this why he left? To build a stronger force to defend Arcadia?" Ruka asked, pressing her clenched hands against her flat chest, gazing up at the two large D-Mechs. Despite their age of thirteen years, the two lived in the bodies that could easily be mistaken for children.

A breeze swept through the deteriorating plaza, a symbol of the classic stand-off before the battle. Rua was first to move, throwing his Power Tool forward, Chakkan dove to the edge of the field and made its way towards Ruka. Power Tool's left claw came forward, striking Junk Warrior's right shielding arm with the tip of its screwdriver. The armour set out orange sparks, evidence that Rua had failed to easily penetrate the purple defence and the warrior threw its arms back to its sides, a force that pushed Power Tool back.

Junk Warrior leapt into the air and positioned its right fist forward, shooting forward with the aid of pulsing flames from the soles of its boots. The force of the attack could be seen around the fist, flashes of red wind sliding around it. Rua chuckled and pulled his Power Tool back, evading the attack. It was then that he took advantage, slamming the blue instrument attached to his right arm into the back of Junk Warrior. The humanoid combatant hit the ground, smoke rose from the cracked concrete tiles, weak after years of neglect, a grunt bounced off of the cracked surface. Ruka smiled at the successful move; it didn't matter who won to her, the only consolation of Rua's victory would be that his confidence would grow.

"You're not going to win, Yusei" Rua shouted cockily through his D-Mech's speakers.

Yusei pushed himself onto his hands and knees, shaking off any damage done to Junk Warrior and stood tall opposite his adversary. Inside the cockpit, he smirked, waiting before making the next move. Power Tool spun around, too quickly for Yusei to plan against the surprise, and slammed Junk Warrior with the shovelhead of its tail, throwing Yusei across the plaza and towards Ruka. The girl didn't flinch, but Chakkan darted in front of her as a shield, Rua's will to protect her passed on into the twin-form machine.

Yusei aimed the bottom of Junk Warrior's boots in Ruka's direction, the miniature jets flaring to slow and bring him to a halt before he could collide with the girl and the protective Chakkan. The air was sweltering and rough, with the strength to push her back had Chakkan not been standing in her way like a bodyguard. Yusei shot back into the battle; the launch thrust him across the plaza brutally, powering Junk Warrior's fist and raising it in front of the body of the bullet. Rua gasped inside Power Tool's chest.

The dragon had no time to move before the fist slammed into its right shoulder, crunching components inside. Rua groaned, gripping the sticks in front of him as tightly as he could, pouring his strength into the robot dragon. Sparks flashed from the impact zone and Yusei, unable to deal more damage in the single blow, bounced back, hovering just above the ground in his purple and grey warrior. Rua glared at the rival on the screen, chanting to himself to calm down, that it was just a game, a practice fight.

He took a few deeper than normal breaths, the speakers shut off so not as to announce his frustration to the others. Once he was calmed, he opened his eyes and set them on Yusei – reminding himself that he was facing a friend and not to visualise him as an enemy. They were meant to be having fun. He smirked and dove forward, launching Power Tool Dragon at the hovering warrior.

Yusei didn't move his D-Mech, but positioned its right arm forward, using the fist as a shield against the dive. The screwdriver of Power Tool moved forward, colliding with the fist, sending a wave of power sweeping outwards. Both D-Mechs began to struggle against the other, each pilot pushing their own cockpit clutches to their limits. Ruka watched the scene in awe, her mouth hanging open subtly while sparks showered the concrete below.

After a number of seconds, the two jumped back, staring each other down. Yusei glanced at a scan of the damage knuckle of Junk Warrior, showing a small dent made by the screwdriver, but not cracked. He had escaped lucky. He smirked to Rua through their D-Mechs, peeling away the steel bodies until he could see the swear trickling down his head. Their very spirits were battling for entertainment; this was the way they had wanted life in Satellite.

"You're really good at this, Rua" the older commented with a smirk.

"Thanks, Yusei " Rua answered with a deep breath. "You're not doing too badly. I knew you'd learn the ropes quickly".

"Got to keep ahead of Security" Yusei said with a slight chuckle.

As he finished, Junk Warrior lunged forward, Power Tool followed quickly and the distance between them shrank to nothing. They clashed again; swinging fists and weapons, trying and failing to knock the opponent to the ground. Each blow missed and waved through the air, leaving each vulnerable for their play-mate to strike a decisive blow. Rua was the first to break the string of misses, striking Junk Warrior with the large blue plastic claw, the D-Mech lurched to the side, Yusei gripping the controls inside to deal with the sudden shuddering. Before he could recover completely, his eyes opened narrowly, watching the shining silver drill falling towards him, knocking a gasp out of him.

Yusei pulled back on the handgrips with all the strength he could muster, throwing Junk Warrior out of the way with a second to spare. The drill pierced the ground, trapped between two slabs of concrete, Rua smirked at Yusei with eyes flaring full of determination, sweat clinging to his brow. He knew it was this point that Yusei had an advantage and worked quickly to free his Power Tool before his friend would use what he knew was there; a window. Yusei picked himself up, watching through the red eyes of his creature as Rua struggled, slamming his blue claw against the ground in a desperate bid to save himself. He wasted no time, however. Junk Warrior began to charge, moving faster towards the steel dragon. Pebbles of concrete and dust fell away from the cracks in the ground, after a few blows, Rua was freed and lifted the screw from the ground, smirking with joy. It was when he looked ahead to find Yusei that Junk Warrior's fist ploughed itself into his chest.

Power Tool fell back, crashing against the ground and under the shadow of the purple-armoured machine. On his back, Rua's hair hang over his shoulders, his eyes dully gazing up at the central screen in front of his face, dazed by the tackle and crashing. His head tilted to the side, where Ruka was standing behind the Chakkan he had left to guard her, her shimmering golden eyes in the right-hand monitor, pouring into his through the dragon's metallic skin. A flame ignited within the boy, flaring in his eyes and driving him to get up. Power Tool struggled to rise after the heavy blow, but stood upright opposite Junk Warrior, who was waiting. The monitor to his side vanished, closing so not to divert his attention to his motivation. His paling knuckles shook around the plastic skin of the thrusters either side of him, evidence of the growing fighting spirit flaring inside of his heart, rather than blind determination to defend what he sought to protect.

Both thrusters shot forward and launched Power Tool ahead, diving at Junk Warrior. Yusei tucked his head between his shoulders, lifting Junk Warrior's bruised fist. The blue shovel-like claw slapped it aside at the dragon's left leg rose, crashing into Junk Warrior's chest and throwing it back. The cockpit shuddered like an earthquake rocked the inside of the machine, Yusei clenched his jaws and gripped the controls beside him, lighting the soles of his D-Mech's boots, slowing the involuntary retreat. Ahead of him, Power Tool seemed to freeze.

But in an instant, it dove at him. Sweat swept Yusei's forehead; he had never battled Rua before, his moves were unpredictable; he could swing between blind rage and thought-out master plans in a matter of seconds. He had gone through the transition once more. The dragon slammed into him, pressing the blue arm against him and throwing him down onto the concrete floor; a crunch rippled through the air and cockpit; there was no doubt that Junk Warrior had taken some damage from the charge. Yusei glanced over his shoulder for any sign on the inside of the fracture, there was none, but when he looked ahead with sharp eyes, Power Tool was over him, blocking the sun overhead, casting its shadow over the defeated rival.

The silver screwdriver arm pulled back, the polished instrument gleaming in the sunlight. Inside the cockpit, Rua's face was darker than normal, a glare blending with dull emotions in his face, like an irritated victor over a pest who had caused too many problems in the past. There wasn't a wicked and deranged smirk on his face, but there was also no glee or excitement over coming out on top.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered, tightening his fingers around the left arm of his dragon.

The limb dropped, tip of the driver spinning, ready to puncture a hole through Junk Warrior's arm and render it useless. It would be the final move in his campaign for victory; to stop his opponent from rising and retaliating with equal force. Yusei clenched his teeth, tensing the muscles in his arms. A holographic window opened to his right side, showing the target: Junk Warrior's right arm, a blinking hollow box with red lines flashing around the used fist, small cracks growing from the scar already inflicted after one face-off with the silver weapon. Yusei understood what the machine was trying to tell him, despite what the result could be, it was willing to damage itself more if there was a chance of victory. Yusei looked to the monitor in front of him again, there was a second or two to decide.

Automatically, he pushed the right handgrip forward, lifting the warrior's arm. The driver clashed with the knuckle guard, producing another shower of sparks that fell over Junk Warrior, the drill struggling with the barrier in front of it. Rua's fingers tightened, strengthening the spinning edge, digging deeper into Junk Warrior's guard. The image of the arm was replaced by a crimson flash with the word **"WARNING"** across it in a black bar; the guard was being pushed to the limit, within seconds, it would reach the end and break apart, leaving the hand exposed and taking out one of the Junk Warrior's strengths.

Yusei growled, pulling on the left handgrip and straining to move the downed arm. The silver blade broke through the guard, shattering it into shards and dust that fell to the cold ground. It was about the plunge into the exposed hand, when the left fist of the victim crashed with the screwdriver, cracking the plastic casing. Rua yelped as his dragon toppled to the left, stopping itself at the last second and just managing to keep its balance. Junk Warrior pushed itself up from the ground, assessing the damage to the right fist. Yusei looked through the blood-red eyes of the machine and into Power Tool, even without the knuckle-duster guard, he could still fight. The purple warrior shot forward, stunning Rua, who couldn't be sure what to do.

Junk Warrior rose from the floor, leaping up until its shape blocked the sun above Power Tool and spun around, lifting its boots above the rest of its body. Flames spurted out of the boots, throwing the purple machine back to earth with devastating force. Rua gaped, paralysed in terror at the bullet flying towards him. Halfway through the fall, Junk Warrior curled itself into a ball and rotated its body, stretching the legs out beneath it without flames to slow its descent. The soles crashed into Power Tool's chest and left arm, throwing it to the ground with such force that the ground choke, small blocks coming loose and jumping, dust from the unearthed floating around the dragon. Junk Warrior leapt away from the wreckage, leaving room for Power Tool to pick itself up, struggling after the wounds across its body.

Ruka stepped forward, acknowledging there was a result. Flashes and sparks zipped around Power Tool's damaged arm. Rua hissed and frowned, opening the chest of his dragon. Junk Warrior landed opposite, engulfed in white to privately separate the two components that made it. Junk Synchron was hovering once more, Speed Warrior standing as tall as it, even whilst standing. The torso of the latter opened unfolded, granting Yusei the chance to leave the metal body and climb back out into the fresh air. Ruka made it to the motionless legs of the dragon before Yusei hit the ground, picking himself up and then strolling towards the two without a word. Rua slipped out of Power Tool, leaving the dragon to defuse itself into the three separate Deformers, Chakkan followed Ruka, speeding up when the light began to disperse. The orange D-Mech was reunited with its comrades, while Rua was still downcast, looking down at the ground with watery eyes.

"Oh come on, Rua, it's alright" Ruka muttered, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Don't cry; you did a great job".

"I'm not crying. But I couldn't win" Rua sobbed, rubbing his eyes behind his arm. "Even if it's Yusei, I couldn't win against a newcomer. What hope do I have of defending Arcadia?"

"Rua, you're perfectly capable of protecting us, you've proven it in the past, and you'll succeed again" the girl insisted.

"She's right, Rua".

The twins looked ahead to Yusei, finding the smile on his face directed at the boy. Rua wiped his eyes against his small bicep quickly and then dropped his arm. Yusei stopped in front of them, their shadows stretching out to the west: the twins' left and his right.

"Rua, you've been fighting with these D-Mechs for some time, you're experienced and you've proven in the past that you're capable of protecting people without help. Without any casualties on top of that" the older insisted with a smile. "Even Divine struggles with that; you shouldn't be so hard on yourself and remember that what you can do is something that most people can only dream about. Not to mention that you're a skilled pilot at just thirteen; there hasn't been anything from the city about pilots that young".

Rua watched the unflinching face of his friend, waiting for any sign to indicate that Yusei didn't wholeheartedly believe what he was implying – there was nothing. Ruka's hand moved back and forth along his shoulder, drawing him to her soft smile. He collected his frown and replaced it with a smile of his own.

"You're right" he answered, then turned to Yusei, clenching his fists. "Hey, Yusei. Since you've been gone for a while, why not stay here the night rather than heading back to the others?"

"It's been a while since you spent some time in the village; you're always at the base" Ruka sighed. "Is it because everyone else is there?"

"No, that's not it at all" Yusei replied with a raised defensive hand. "I've been working with Uryu to pay off Garome, keep him off our backs". The hand fell and a heavy-hearted sigh followed his eyes closing, guilt scribbled across his face. "We lost Uryu".

"Security got to him?" Ruka gasped, face filled with horror at losing a friend.

"I reckon so. For some reason, he turned on me" Yusei sighed, looking at the crestfallen faces of the youngsters. "I don't know why, but I'll do whatever I can to get him back… if I can".

"What are you going to do?" Ruka asked.

"Well, first, I'm going to spend tonight here with you two" Yusei stated, laying his hand atop Rua's hair and ruffling the boy's hair. "Then I'm going to head out tomorrow to find Garome. I'm not going to lose anymore friends to him and there's only one way to do that".

His right hand clenched into a fist, unseen by Rua's smiling face that watched the teenage face. The boy's eyes snapped open. Followed by a step back.

"You mean you're gonna stay?" he yelped happily.

Yusei answered with a mute nod, a cue for Rua's celebrations; jumping and cheering. Ruka beamed at her brother's sudden change of character, like he had become an entirely new person in a matter of minutes, she folded her arms behind her back and tilted her head, pleased to see her brother so happy. To achieve the level of ecstasy in Rua was difficult, but it had been managed so easily on this occasion, that alone gave her hope of overriding his perfectionist ways.

Dusk came and the three retreated to the run-down home that the twins had chosen as their own after arriving in the village, one of the better dwellings, but nothing compared to their previous home in Neo-Domino. The three settled into two rooms; the twins in their beds and Yusei on the sofa with a blanket draped over him.

When morning came, the trio gathered outside the dwelling, the twins standing either side of the door and Yusei opposite them. They had been talking about Divine soon heading off on another scavenge for food, the Resistance could run dangerously low if tabs weren't kept the supplies, it was a rare mistake. Yusei climbed into Speed Warrior and signalled Junk Synchron to his side, which Rua had already praised him for finding. The engines of the small machine fired up and threw it forward; Speed Warrior skated after it, kicking up a trail of dust.

When the ground settled, Rua and Ruka smiled in the direction they friend had raced off in. Ruka turned to her brother, eyes shimmering brightly – a rare light to her that Yusei was normally the spark of, the same flare had been ignited inside of Rua.

"What are you going now?" she asked. "Should we get Magnen-U to the others?"

Rua smirked and turned back to the settling dust. "Not yet, in a bit" he said.

"Huh?" Ruka sounded, tilting her head at the sudden casual attitude of her brother.

"I want to stay here for a moment; keep this feeling inside of me" he answered. "I want to be strong like Yusei, to protect you and everyone else here. Right now, I feel that strong".

Ruka smiled at him, puzzled by what he meant, but put it down simply to being a D-Mech pilot. She was satisfied by the visit from Yusei, especially how it had lifted her usually austere brother's spirits. She laid a hand onto his shoulder and rested her head on the covering, snuggled against her brother whilst watching the morning rise.

* * *

**«/Location: Neo-Domino – 'Public Security Bureau'**

In the office of the man in charge of the glorious Neo-Domino City, a grey man stood with his back to the chamber, gazing out the window acting as a clear wall in the skyscraper's nerve centre. His hair a light grey and flowing over his shoulders, there were two shades of the same colour to his attire; a battleship focus to his suit and a paler variation for the shirt depicting the fragments of a winged being. A thin smirk made his face, eyes tracing the man behind him. A man with spiked blonde hair and a large white coat decorated with purple interior and grey accessories across it.

"It seems the Satellite wasn't lying" the older man said.

"And what are you suggesting that means, Godwin?" the blonde asked.

"It means, King, that Operation Overlord is about to begin" Director Godwin answered, turning to the blonde adolescent. "You're about to be deployed to Satellite to find this Fudo Yusei. Are you ready?"

Jack Atlus gave a brisk nod. "I am".


	3. Operation into Satellite

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – D-Mechs**

by Yusei

_**Summary – **__"5DX. __Fighting against the oppression of Neo-Domino, the Arcadia Resistance in Satellite uncover the weapons behind power and take a stand, fighting for all of Satellite. A new era is about to begin_".

_**Disclaimer – **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **__I need to update this quicker; I'll have more time after mid-late June so I promise I'll work harder and getting more of this and the other fics updated in that period. Until then, I hope this makes up for the wait. Please read and review._

* * *

**«/Transmission Re-Established**

The wasteland was empty, no sign of life, past or present. It was like a suffering desert, the only thing that moved was the dust surfing through the still air, given the power by the scrapes of Speed Warrior's wheeled feet. Junk Synchro kept up, the small engines on its back vibrating healthily, keeping it elevated as though it were too good for the fractured earth. Inside its partner, Yusei's eyes were set firmly ahead, searching for any sign of society, be it ruins or struggling people. The fact that he had failed to see any trace that could him in the direction of Garome fuelled his anger, pumped furious adrenaline through his veins, tightening his hands around the levers in his grasp.

He had always trusted his friends; they were all one could have in Satellite. But he had surrendered one… because of that cowardly man. The man who cared only about money and had completely lost touch with the value of life; his conscience sold off years ago. Uryu had been a friend for years, and now he was gone… because Garome had deluded himself into thinking he was important, that he was powerful enough to risk their lives for.

Consumed by thoughts of his lost friend and the revenge he intended to exact, he was blind to the shadow creeping over a rocky formation to the east, appearing briefly on the far-left of the side monitor. The source of the shade was a figure, a human in the middle of nowhere. The sun glared of his shoulder; even if Yusei had noticed, he wouldn't be able to identify him. A smirk arose on the face of the blonde invader.

* * *

**«/File Zero-Three: "Operation into Satellite"**

**«/Location: Satellite – "Unknown Location"**

Speed Warrior jumped across the sandy floor without any kind of problem, moving without distraction. Inside, Yusei's wrists throbbed briefly, veins pressing themselves against the skin sheet. The side monitors fell from his vision and only the road ahead existed. He had distanced himself from reality.

That changed instantly when an eruption from the sand spat up the ground. Woken from his distant world, Yusei watched dazed as the sand sprinkled itself over the crater. Speed Warrior leapt to the side, skidding to an unexpected halt and the resistance pilot inside glared through the rectangular eye in front of him at the silhouette towering above him, the blinding sun blazing over his tall form.

"You aren't worth my time" the man chuckled cockily. "If you're the best the Arcadia Resistance has to offer, then it's a true tragedy that you haven't been destroyed".

"Who are you?" Yusei growled.

A dark cloud floated in front of the sun, intervening to prevent its intrusion further. The white-suited Jack Atlus smirked from the top of the ridge, his violet eyes holding a more playful glow than they had during his meeting with Godwin.

"I am Jack Atlus" he announced proudly. "And I am here as part of Neo-Domino's most elite force; I am King of that army".

Yusei scowled; so it was finally happening; Godwin was infiltrating Satellite to hunt them down on home soil, more than just the odd Security drone were landing in their territory. The best were coming, a challenge was brewing. Yusei tightened his hands around the sticks either side of him, contemplating exactly what to do next; to deal with this man or move on and leave him behind. There was no sign of any D-Mechs around, Jack was undefended.

Speed Warrior lunged forward, crashing its skate soles into the rock face, toppling boulders and felling the tower Jack stood upon, dust fled the collapse, shrouding any view of the rubble left before. Yusei smirked and looked back to the unmarked road he had been taking. He thrust the handgrips forward, throwing his Speed Warrior forward again. Half a dozen steps he managed before the sand sank again. Speed Warrior slipped, almost stumbling over when the pit appeared under its right foot. Yusei pulled back, twisting the machine around to assess what was behind him, analysing the smoky setting cautiously. It seemed he was more prepared than he had predicted.

A rock-skinned creature emerged, a simple body with arms and legs hanging from the core, its rubble skin coated a desert red, blue eyes rolling in the black slit towards the top of it. On its head, Jack was standing, almost twice the size of the miniature D-Mech; a type unsuitable for piloting, but with a sentience all its own, just like Junk Synchron. Behind him, a second dot flashed - another enemy. Yusei twisted Speed Warrior's body enough to capture the hiding foe in the left-hand monitor. The beast was another too small for jack, a black-skinned thing with red eyes and a toothy grin, a dim helmet resembling the upper half of a horned-beast's skull pressed over the top, crimped red petals sprouting from the helm. Over its small body, indigo rags hung, as though it belonged in Satellite rather than a part of Godwin's elite force, a bib of orange lined with green set over the chest. Attached to its back, a pattern made of six circles all attached to a larger centrepiece shone under the sunlight, as did the tuning fork in one hand and sceptre topped with an azure sphere in the other.

Yusei scowled, Jack had levelled the playing field in an instant. He readied himself for a hasty escape, Junk Synchron chirped, seeming to have picked up on Yusei's feelings, transmitting the plan to the sentient Tuner without even trying. Speed Warrior pushed past the small grinning machine, darting down the open road again.

A stream of energy gushed from the orb on the end of the golden stick, roaring through the air and crashed into the back of Speed Warrior, felling the skating machine. Yusei grunted as his artificial skin shuddered and dropped to its knees, the system bleeping panicky. Azure eyes scanned the three monitors, each reading damage to the back of the machine from the surprise attack, his jaws clenched tighter. Jack's two D-Mechs hovered closer, the blonde still standing on top of his rock-based servant with arms folded over his chest, smirking proudly despite Yusei's clear disgust at the strategy.

"I said you're not worth my time, but I have a job to do" he proclaimed.

Yusei snarled, picking himself up from the ground and turning his two bodies to face Jack directly, muscles in his arm tense, reflected in the hunched stance of his machine. Jack's head dropped, altering his smirk from cocky to satisfied, his eyes still fixed onto the chest of his opponent, knowing Yusei was underneath the grey exterior, his body fitting neatly into the steel suit.

"So you're here to blow apart Arcadia" Yusei growled.

"I am" Jack laughed. "Once I take you out, you'll show my where your secret playground is".

Yusei glanced over his shoulder to the demonic D-Mech hovering and then again to the rock underneath Jack; it seemed he had no choice, they were trained to keep him pinned down.

"It doesn't look like I have a choice" he mumbled, grudgingly.

"Smart boy" Jack chuckled.

Yusei scowled at the monitor, a seething flash across his eyes - Jack had been toying with him all along; there was no doubt that he was nowhere near done as well. Jack lifted his right hand, a fist aimed towards the sky.

"Dark Resonator, Small Piece Golem, standby" he called.

The demon creature soared towards Jack's side, the rock-based machine pulling back. Jack leapt from its peak to the ground, smirking at Yusei's two D-Mechs. Frustrated by the blonde invader's smugness, Yusei pulled the handgrips up, his angered mood pulsing through Speed Warrior. Junk Synchron jumped in front of the grey machine and began to glow. Jack watched without any change in expression as the two combined and emerged as the single Junk Warrior.

The Synchro D-Mech's shadow stretched over Jack and across the sand around him, like a tower of strength to be feared. All the while, the blonde smirked, unfazed by the combination of the two. Yusei kept his eyebrows against the tops of his sockets, suspicious of Jack's confidence - something didn't feel right.

"Do you expect me to be impressed?" he asked smugly. "I see Tuning all the time in the City; this is nothing new".

"You knew these were in Satellite, didn't you" Yusei mumbled sternly.

"Of course" Jack replied. "Security has its days".

Yusei growled, there was a part of him that knew what had happened - they had interrogated Uryu and then done away with him. The friend he lost in a maddened moment of chaos was gone, no doubt detained somewhere isolated just to stop the Arcadia members from reaching him. Jack clicked his fingers, the remainder of his body frozen.

"How about I show you what true power is about?" he asked with a dark smirk.

From behind the small mountain of rubble, a large crystalline D-Mech leapt out; emerald shoulders connected the clear arms to the body, naked with the exception of a sapphire breastplate. The hands matched the additional support, as did the belt around its waist, a ruby sphere fixed into the centre, small rubies and sapphires standing out of the forearms like bones. From the knees, ambers glistened underneath the morning sun. The encased head positioned atop the body seemed too small to be proportionate, but failed to detract from its brutal build.

The towering D-Mech crashed onto the ground behind Jack, standing almost twice as tall as Junk Warrior, glistening in the day's awkward glow, as though nature itself were declaring it superior. The breastplate rose with a hum, revealing a cockpit for Jack to climb into. One of the machine's large hands dropped down, opening up to escort the blonde man to his place, Jack took a simple step forward, landing onto the palm and remained still, balanced perfectly as it moved, lifting him to the open space. He climbed in and vanished behind the dropping chest.

"Alright, kid, let's see just how long your Satellite ass can last against someone with skill" he laughed through the immense body of shining steel.

Without warning, Power Giant lunged forward, throwing a punch.

Junk Warrior leapt up, evading the fist with ease, the jets on its back ablaze with power of its own. A confident laugh came from Power Giant, from Jack, who smirked as he fixed his eyes onto Junk Warrior hovering almost over his own D-Mech, the sun's light hitting its right body and shimmering dully.

"So you can't fight?" he asked. "Or you won't?"

Yusei growled; all Jack had done was run his mouth, mocking not only him, but the rest of Arcadia, indirectly claiming it was powerless and a united failure. Junk Warrior's fist shot forward, the cracked duster pressed the fingers together; the warrior still bore the scars of the duel with Power Tool Dragon. Rua and Ruka's smiling faces shone in Yusei's mind's eye; it was people like them who were relying on him and Arcadia. His eyes shot open with an untamed flame of fighting spirit. He yelled as, throwing Junk Warrior at the immense crystalline machine.

Jack smirked, allowing his monster to remain still, watching smugly as the purple and grey enemy grew rapidly across his centre screen. The fist crashed into the chest, shuddering from the force, on the right-hand screen, schematics of warrior replaced desert, the right hand glowing red with panic once more. He hadn't been expecting another battle, he hadn't taken it to Bruno for repairs, Yusei clenched his teeth - there was no damage done to Power Giant, so Jack was seated behind the impact zone, unfazed and ready to launch his counterstroke. The blonde thrust his own right arm forward, smashing the first into Junk Warrior's abdomen.

The force from the larger arm threw it back, Yusei grunted as he slid back further, widening the gap between the two machines, just how Jack wanted things. Junk Warrior shuddered as it scraped along the desert floor, slowly coming to a halt, thin plumes of dusty steam waving from underneath. The schematics on the right-hand screen opened a window attached to the back, listing each section and how they were doing, a few flashing with errors, possibly due to sand that had managed to squeeze itself in between plates of steel and into Junk Warrior. Yusei scowled, focused more on the list that raced at a feverous rate, half a dozen lines in red text and separated into a new window, the complications that were arising.

Jack's laugher penetrated his skin and wormed its way into Yusei's ears, attracting a seething glare through the central monitor again. He was towering over the downed body, blocking out the sun, no doubt sitting with his arms folded and a superior grin on his face.

"It's a real wonder that Arcadia hasn't been dismantled if you're the strongest" the blonde mocked cockily, smirking down at the monitor in front of his face centred on the downed Junk Warrior. "You've got no power, kid. How about I finish you off quickly and take you somewhere you won't be able to fight back from?"

Yusei scowled, his seething glare burning through the chest of Junk Warrior and then through Power Giant; he wanted nothing more than to put the blonde in his place, the problem was that so far, that method had failed. The left arm of the purple and grey D-Mech grunted, sliding underneath his back of the body and helped to pick it up from the ground, standing hunched in front of the superior crystal-designed enemy, almost as though it were submitting and Yusei accepting that he couldn't defeat Jack.

With the interpretation running through his head, Jack grinned victoriously, chuckling softly enough to avoid the sound rippling through his D-Mech and into the air. Yusei lifted his head, glaring from between the thick tips of his dark hair and lunged forward, throwing the damaged fist at Power Giant's head.

"I won't submit to you" Yusei snapped. "Scrap Fist!"

"Heh" Jack sounded, twisting his Power Giant to evade the monster.

Junk Warrior's fist collided with the left emerald shoulder and sliding past, ignoring the crack in the glowing armour. Jack sneered as the schematics flashed in the corner of his eye, altering him that the crack had cut into the skin of his towering machine and continued turning - Junk Warrior was still rising, Yusei was trying to escape. With a sharp rise, the scratched arm shot up, its hand capturing Junk Warrior's ankle and locking it in place just before it could escape. Yusei's throat closed and a breath crashed inside of him, he looking over his shoulder to see the left monitor showed the view from behind; Power Giant had managed to stop him at the last second, holding him like a prisoner who could neither fly higher or fall to the ground - not even gravity could help him. Yusei threw an 'n' shaped handgrip forward, igniting the flames blazing at the bottom of the jets attached to the back.

With his other hand, Yusei tapped onto a sequence of keys decorating the bottom strip screen in front of him suddenly, responding to his thoughts and emotions. A transparent tower appeared on the right-hand side of the screen; a measurement of the Momentum still flowing inside the D-Mech. Already, the battles with Rua and Jack had taken a significant amount of energy; he was beginning to run low - it wouldn't be long before the machine was drained completely and Yusei would be at the mercy of Jack - a man from the City, one of their best. He'd stand no chance.

"I was expecting more from you" Jack chuckled. "You're already trying to run away?"

Yusei grunted, moving his left hand back to one of the handgrips beside him, thrusting it forward in the vain hope of pulling the leg away. He didn't have time for this - he had to get away before Junk Warrior would revert back to the smaller machines that made it or stall completely. Sweat rolled down Yusei's forehead; the hopeless attempts of breaking free were just eating into the Momentum he had left, the levels sinking well below 10%. Based on Junk Warrior's power previously, a rough estimation calculated it could last perhaps another quarter of an hour without a battle - who knew how long while actively fighting.

"If you want to play with the big boys" Jack called, pulling back the arm pinning Junk Warrior to battle. "Then expect to get thrown about".

The machine spun one-eighty degrees, launching Junk Warrior over its head and towards the ground. Inside the falling warrior, Yusei shuddered in the cockpit; he could feel the power emitting itself from the large D-Mech. Junk Warrior crashed onto the ground, Yusei almost thrown out of his place and crashed against the back of the seat, crying out briefly as he fell back into place.

The three screens around him were covered in dust; the central showing the dangerously low levels of Momentum left in the machine, the right-hand flashing with panic; listing the injuries that the D-Mech had sustained since the battle's beginning. Power Giant's distant and inconsistent silhouette appeared behind the veil of smoke and dust, Jack's voice slicing through with ease. The central monitor cut itself in half, Jack's face appearing on the left of the screen opposite the Momentum meter, smirking cockily, experienced enough to know how to establish a connection that revealed their faces.

"I must say, even if it's a one-sided fight, I'm amused you were able to damage my Power Giant" he laughed. "Even with that scratch, I can topple you easily; you're hanging on by a thread. You have no hope. I'm the King of Neo-Domino, after all. You're nothing; Fudo Yusei".

Yusei's eyes snapped opened as wide as they could stretch - he had never confessed his name to Jack; he had never even claimed to be with Arcadia to begin with. There was only one possibility that crossed his mind - they were torturing and interrogating Uryu for information. That or they had researched Satellite extensively. But no-one other than those in Arcadia would know what Yusei's D-Mechs were; he'd only had them for a day.

"Yes, I know that look in your eyes" Jack commented with a dark smile. "That's the look of true fear - you know just how far we've stretched across Satellite. We _do_ know about Arcadia, perhaps not where it's based, but once you're captured and dragged in front of the Director, you'll tell us where. Then your pathetic existence can end. Wouldn't you prefer, Fudo Yusei? To die quickly and end this suffering you call life?"

Jack's face vanished from the screen, revealing the scene ahead uninterrupted. Between the dissolving streams of dust, Power Giant stepped forward, slowly marching towards its downed prey. Sweat slid down Yusei's face; Junk Warrior was pinned by exhaustion, the store of Momentum in it was too low to be of much use. If he couldn't do anything but wait for defeat, then Jack's prediction would come true and he would become a prisoner of the City, waiting only to die.

Inside the standing mech, Jack smirked confidently; one more strike would drain Junk Warrior and expose the man reported to be Arcadia's strongest; he'd achieve success on Godwin's behalf and accomplish the objective of Operation Overlord. The crystal-decorated machine lunged forward, shooting into the sun's path, glaring streams of white light burning into the sand around the one-sided battle. Yusei turned his head away, unable to watch the soaring enemy overhead, ready to come crashing down on top of him with the weight of the ignorant society.

The move proved more valuable than he could have predicted; in the left-hand screen, there seemed to be something buried in the sand, standing out from the rest of the desert. The piece was resting at a diagonal angle, making it difficult to decipher exactly what it was, but it seemed to be an enlarged canister with an inactive circular meter, the needle sleeping at the lowest possible reading. Yusei furrowed his brow - there was an outside chance the buried victim was a Tuner, in which case, he had a glimmer of hope. As Power Giant dropped towards him, Junk Warrior pushed itself up from the ground and hastily dove out of the way, landing back on its torso as the Power Giant tower crashed into the ground behind it, kicking up another wave of sand and clogged air.

Yusei groaned, unsure exactly how he was going to manage balancing a counterattack and keeping a location on the hiding meter gauge. The creaking of the rising D-Mech behind him drew the connected sets of eyes over; Power Giant was rising again, Jack was ready to battle once more.

Junk Warrior scrambled away, picking itself up as it darted away and, once up-right, turned to face the towering enemy, sunlight gleaming off its clear body. The size of the stronger combatant was intimidating, but there was a weakness within it somewhere; he'd just have to find it. Without waiting for another of Jack's taunts, Junk Warrior lunged forward, throwing its left fist forward, crashing into the right palm that rose to shield the chest. Yusei growled, disappointed that Jack was so lax about the battle, especially how he was able to defend himself so easily. Junk Warrior leapt back, landing a reasonable distance from the machine, Yusei clenching his teeth inside.

"Why is it you came now?" he asked sternly. "Because I'm weak from a previous fight?"

Jack raised an eyebrow; the news that Junk Warrior hadn't been at its strongest was something he wasn't expecting, but failed to surprise him; it was possible that Yusei was making the claim to justify his underwhelming retaliation. The blonde smirked, sinking back into his seat, eyes fixed on the purple warrior that matched his iris.

"Getting your excuses in early, Yusei?" he asked cockily.

Yusei sharpened his glare. "It's no excuse" he growled. "I just find it terribly convenient that you show up at this kind of time. If you know my name and that I'm part of Arcadia, did you know I had these? Have you been tracking my movements?"

Jack's smile widened. "Someone's suddenly interested in the City, is he?" he asked slyly.

"Don't screw with me" Yusei snapped. "If you've been spying on my friends, then I won't let you return to that place in one piece".

"If only you had the power to back up such a threat" Jack chuckled.

No longer than a breath after his final syllable did the blonde wait before he dove forward, raising a clenched fist to crash into Junk Warrior. Yusei snarled; igniting the engines on the back of his D-Mech, managing to pull it out of the line of fire before Jack could succeed in striking him. Instead, Power Giant crashed onto the ground, digging another shallow crater. Sand and dust floated up, obscuring Yusei's view of the buried treasure that Jack had yet to discover. Inside the purple-armoured warrior, Yusei narrowed his eyes, searching the endless ground finely for the piece gleaming from the sea of sand. The circular meter shone white in the midst of the stretched yellow. Power Giant's shadow loomed over Junk Warrior, drawing Yusei's eyes away from the treasure and upwards, turning around in time to see the massive arm of the enemy swing, crashing into Junk Warrior and throwing it across the unmarked battlefield.

As he flew, Yusei could feel the machine shuddering and clanging, threatening to die on him any moment; he was nearing powerlessness, the single digit levels ticking down slowly like a countdown to failure. Rather than crashing into the sand, Yusei pushed forward one of the levers, igniting the boots of the machine, managing to keep it from landing, but hovered unsteadily inches above, scattering grains directly underneath.

In his Power Giant, Jack grinned at the tactic, eager for a real challenge, waiting for a real reason as to why he had been sent to Satellite; why he had to deal with these rogues hiding underground. Yusei positioned Junk Warrior's right fist forward and then dove towards Power Giant, charging basically. Desperation, Jack assumed, prevailed in the face of running low on energy. Power Giant took a casual step away, opening a path for Junk Warrior to race along, missing it completely. Behind the expressionless mask of the warrior, Yusei smirked deviously, speedily cranking the two levels in the opposite direction; pulling the right arm back and the left forward - he'd been waiting for this.

Jack struggled to register exactly what happened before the fist slammed into the waist of his D-Mech, rocking the cockpit like an earthquake shook the earth underneath. Where a smirk had been plastered, a scowl reversed his face, glaring through the central screen to see Junk Warrior slipping past as easily as if he had missed the target, heading down the opened path; Yusei had managed to use his own countermeasure against him. Desperation hadn't played a part. Junk Warrior slowed to a stop in the air, whipping around to face the towering enemy, Yusei inside beaming. Content with the result of the ploy. Jack turned to face the floating rogue, a grin spread across his face.

"So you learned to fight now, have you?" he asked with a smug laugh. "Maybe now you'll pose some kind of challenge; that's what I've been looking for".

Yusei's hands tightened around the controls either side of his seat, ready to throw himself into another round. On the left side of the central monitor, a green outline of the enemy standing ahead appeared, assessing its height, weight and shape. Yusei watched it in the corner of his eye and then paused; it was that schematic that enlightened the struggling Resistance pilot to the flaws in Power Giant's design. He leaned forward, his fingers squeaked with a sharp jolt that accompanied their move forward; Junk Warrior launched itself ahead and towards the immobile tower. Jack chortled, arching his back away from the diving warrior, almost bending over backwards had the seat not surrounded him, Power Giant mimicked his moves.

"Synchronisation levels are optimal" he commented. "Power Giant is all but linked to my very soul".

Junk Warrior fell towards the ground, racing inches above the sand resting, the engines planting on its boots and back kicking them apart to create a faint path, Yusei's eyes captured the flashing bar tucked inside the hollow meter crying out that less than 5% of the Momentum powering Junk Warrior was left; he'd have a few minutes at most. Jack lifted up his right foot, an action replicated by Power Giant, ready to stamp the wearying D-Mech before the escape he assumed Yusei was desperate to accomplish before his machine ran out of energy altogether.

"No dice, Yusei" he laughed. "You're not slipping away so easily".

"Who says I'm trying to run?" Yusei asked coldly.

Jack sounded his puzzlement at Yusei's question, astonished when Junk Warrior managed to vanish from the central monitor. But at the same time, there was no sound running underneath him to signal the escape route being used. Jack cast his eyes to the ground, only for a flash of purple and grey to appear on the monitor in front of him. Jack grunted in shock, flinching in his seat; somehow, Yusei had managed to sneak up into his hands.

On the outside of the stunned machine, Junk Warrior was balanced on the yellow crystals protruding from the knees, its chest level with Jack, who watched with widened eyes; Yusei was in the one place that Power Giant's arms couldn't reach - he had pinned him down using the one weak spot.

"Take this back to the City with you" the dark-haired pilot asserted darkly. "Arcadia won't be dismantled by the likes of you".

Immediately after his final word, Junk Warrior's fist craned back and flew into the chest, rocking Jack's cockpit tremendously. The blonde groaned, his organs swinging around inside of him like he were on a wild amusement park ride. Sparks fizzed across the damaged chest, a small black cavity opened up, exposing the second layer of skin; cords linking each part of the body like arteries. A schematic of Power Giant shone on the right-hand screen, confirming the damage to the chest and arm of the machine. Jack growled, frustrated that Yusei had managed to inflict so much damage to his superior machine. The crystalline machine twisted its body, managing to punch away Junk Warrior, who skidded along the ground, laying face-down just outside the shadow of the immense enemy.

Power Giant then flinched, its body beginning to struggle with the injuries sustained. Yusei picked himself up, his Junk Warrior on its hands and knees watched over the shoulder as Power Giant stumbled forward. Yusei jumped ahead, landing just in front of the meter and began to scratch at the sand, scooping away grains to unearth the body of the small machine buried underneath. Jack growled, turning his Power Giant around in time to see Yusei lift the canister from its grave, small silver arms with white gloves and yellow boots hanging from it, the circular meter fixed onto the top ring of its body.

"A Tuner" Yusei whispered, analysing the miniature D-Mech, coming to the conclusion when Junk Synchron flashed in his mind. "Please be compatible".

Yusei closed his eyes firmly, recalling the first time Junk Synchron combined with Speed Warrior to give him the Synchro he trusted. The canister began to glow brightly, unleashing rays of white that blinded Yusei. From behind, Jack watched in shock as the light consumed Junk Warrior, fearful of what was to come.

He had every right to be concerned; from the light, a bulky three-toned green beast hovered where Junk Warrior had been. Large curved horns stabbed through the small skull and miniature matching tusks sticking out of the large shoulders. From its spine, silver cannons gleamed and fixed onto the rear, a much larger version hung, glistening under the morning sun and lined with silver around the mouth. An outline flashed around the machine, text calling it _'Nitro Warrior'_. Jack clenched his jaws, he had no idea how powerful the new Synchro was without the helmet he usually carried in the City; he'd left it behind on the assumption that Satellite's Arcadia posed no challenge. Now he could see there was something worthy of the army dealing with hiding away on the orphaned island.

Yusei looked over his shoulder to the stunned City machine. "This new creation - this Nitro Warrior - will be the proof that power alone isn't the answer. You may be strong in that thing, but united, we can be stronger. I have friends relying on me, I can't lose while they're waiting".

Nitro Warrior sprung from the ground, leaping across the sky and through the sun, eclipsing it for a second. Jack watched with horror across his face, Nitro Warrior stretched its left arm ahead, pausing its midair rolling directly about Power Giant, who leaned back to watch the green warrior.

"If you can't care about Satellite, stay away" Yusei growled.

Like a ton, Nitro Warrior dove towards Power Giant, Jack pulled back; managing to retreat quickly enough to evade the fist colliding with the body of his machine, but one vulnerable leg was still hit, snapping off the yellow knee like a toy. Jack growled as he stabilised himself, Nitro Warrior bounced away from the attack and back to where it started its life, turning to face down the invader.

"You bastard" Jack hissed, his body shuddered briefly from the force of the impact, he was worried. Scared of losing. "I'm not going to let you get the best of me; you won't win this, you Satellite bastard".

Yusei said nothing, but fixed his sharp eyes onto the sparking mech, raising Nitro Warrior's left fist up in preparation for a second attack. The enlarged cannon blazed to life, throwing him forward. Jack quickly manoeuvred in response, grabbing the large fist, managing to hold back the green warrior with its stronger arm. Yusei's eyes flashed with opportunity and thrust the right fist forward, crashing into the damaged chest and ripping the hole bigger. Jack cried out in agony, his back thrown against the seat and his hands weakening from the levers. He was losing control, the battle was spiralling into Yusei's hands. Power Giant stumbled; the release of the lever unlocked Nitro Warrior's hand and set it free to rising up again. Jack opened his eyes and searched anxiously for the overwhelming Synchro.

"Jack" Yusei's voice came from above. Jack craned his neck back to see Nitro Warrior floating in front of the sun, rays of light bouncing from its back and illuminating its edges. "If you insist on invading Satellite, Arcadia will do the same with your precious City. Security won't win this war, neither will you".

Jack's voice was trapped in his throat when he realised Yusei dropped his machine once the boast was complete, positioning both hands ahead of him. Power Giant was still struggling to overcome the last attack, threatening to die on him. He gasped, able only to watch Nitro Warrior fall towards him, Yusei's voice growing stronger from the inside, yelling out with nothing short of raw fighting power.

"_Dynamite Knuckle!_"

The two fists smashed into Power Giant's shoulders, ripping them apart with ease and dislocating the arms, which fell either side. Jack cried out in horror as his D-Mech rocked and flashed, its Momentum store emptied out with the destruction of its body. The ruins fell back and onto the ground, laying face-up in the desert, surrounded by its arms and shards of false crystal scattered from the fight. Jack stared blankly through the central monitor, barely alive due to not relying on Momentum. Nitro Warrior appeared in way of the sun, casting its shadow across Jack's ruined body.

"You…" he hissed. "You bastard, how could you win?"

Yusei scoffed, looking down at Jack with a disappointed face, a stance of superiority. "I don't have time to waste with the likes of you" he mumbled. "I've more important matters to deal with. There's only one thing you should know now - not all people in Satellite are weak and useless, you could do well to remember that. As could your army".

Nitro Warrior searched the land around them for the direction that its predecessor had been travelling, locking onto the Southern path. Yusei paid no more attention to Jack and launched forward, resuming the hunt for Garome, wherever he was hiding. Jack's Power Giant vanished into the mounds of sand built up over the neglectful land, leaving him free to continue the search for revenge.

Moments later, a flash cut the central monitor in half, a green hexagonal bar with _'Psychic Commander'_ appeared, a narrow stripe connecting the central corners with the edge of the scene; an incoming call from the familiar name. Yusei lifted his left hand, touching the centre.

"_Yusei, where are you?"_ Divine's voice asked.

Following the initial line of audio, Divine's face appeared in the bottom-right corner, looking stern as always. Yusei was safe to assume his face was also visible to Divine.

"Divine" he uttered, vaguely surprised. "I'm just out. How did you contact me?"

"_Aki and Bruno assessed your Speed Warrior and Junk Synchron, even when they're part of a Synchro D-Mech, it's possible to contact them individually and connect their system to the Synchro; by just calling Junk Synchron, we could get to Junk Warrior"_ Divine answered. _"But you're not in Junk Warrior, are you?"_

"Right" Yusei replied. "I found another Tuner".

"_I see, it'll be interesting to see exactly what it is and what it's made"_ Divine murmured. _"Listen, we've gotten something happening back at Arcadia. There's some kind of distress call been made, so we're going to investigate. We've got reason to believe that Godwin's sending Security into Satellite to try and find us. They may have found this place by accident"_.

Yusei flinched; what if Jack had been only one of a number of elite pilots sent into Satellite? He stopped hastily, the cannon at the bottom of Nitro Warrior's back waved and swung around as Yusei turned the body quickly. Light began to shine from the inside, the beginning of the flame that exploded out, throwing it forward and back down the path it had been taking; aiming to head back to Arcadia's village to check on the twins.

In half the time it had taken to leave the battle behind, Nitro Warrior soared over the felled D-Mech, Jack standing beside the crater made in its chest. Hearing the sound of the warrior racing through the air, he moved his violet eyes upwards, glaring venomously as it crossed his path again, mocking him, and heading back towards the mysterious place it had come from. Certain that was the case, his eyes narrowed; at least he had a lead on where in Satellite Arcadia hid.


End file.
